Marshall Islands parliament burns down in overnight fire

(Reuters) -Fire has destroyed the national parliament of the Marshall Islands, fire and police officials in the Pacific Island nation said on Tuesday, adding the blaze had since been put out.

The Marshall Islands Fire Department said in a telephone interview that half of the parliament building, known as the Nitijela, had been burnt down in a fire that broke out overnight.

The remaining structure cannot be used, a police official told Reuters by telephone, confirming the parliament had been destroyed.

A fire truck had responded to the blaze, he added.

The Pacific archipelago, midway between Hawaii and Australia, has a population of around 42,000, with half living in the capital Majuro.

Its major diplomatic relationships are a compact of free association with the United States, which p