Two teens held over Croatian tower inferno

Police said Friday they had filed charges against two 18-year-old men over a blaze that destroyed a landmark tower in Croatia's capital earlier this week.

The fire, which broke out shortly before midnight local time on Monday (2300 GMT), quickly engulfed the 16-storey building with flames seen pouring from its windows.

A well-known example of modernist architecture in Zagreb, the building was the former home of the Vjesnik publishing house, a media giant that once produced major newspapers and magazines.

Some government archives, stored in parts of the building, were also destroyed in the blaze.

More than 160 firefighters battled the blaze for hours, leaving the 1970s building so severely damaged that experts suggest it may need to be torn down.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

Police in a statement said the two teens were suspected of starting the fire on the 15th floor of the building, and three minors were also allegedly involved.

One of the men started a fire in a cardboard box, while the other set fire to paper, causing the fire to spread to nearby rooms, leaving "significant material damage", the statement said.

Both suspects were taken into custody, and police filed criminal charges against them with prosecutors.

The two had no previous criminal record.

© Agence France-Presse