Fire kills two at Brazil Antarctica base

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

A fire at Brazil's research station in Antarctica has killed two navy personnel and left one other, injured.

The 40 staff at the Comandante Ferraz base have been evacuated by helicopter to Chile's Antarctica station. The will later be flown back to Brazil.

Brazil's defense minister said the damage was severe and the cause of the fire would be investigated.

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE, CELSO AMORIM, SAYING

"The material was obviously lost and it will take a while to recover. The equipment was also damaged, including the central part of the base where the equipment was being kept. The exact reason of what happened will be analysed, but we can affirm that almost everything was lost in the fire,"

Brazil has had a base in Antarctica since 1984.

Government officials say they are keen to rebuild it as soon as possible.

Several South American countries have bases in Antarctica where they carry out scientific research.

Masako Iijima, Reuters.