Fifteen traders including six children have been killed in a fire at a public market in the Philippines, police say.

About 13 others were injured in the blaze at a market in the southern city of Zamboanga.

The fire began when sparks from low-hanging electric cables set fire to umbrellas and piles of used clothing, police said.

The victims were reportedly traders who slept at their stalls ahead of the busy weekend market.

The blaze was so strong that the authorities were forced to rely on assistance from volunteers from nearby neighbourhoods to put it out, local fire chief Dominador Zabala told the Inquirer newspaper.