World (AP)

A hotel fire in South Korea killed at least 6 people and injured 11, officials say

A hotel fire in South Korea killed at least 6 people and injured 11, officials say

A fire broke out at a hotel in the South Korean city of Bucheon, killing at least six people and injuring 11, officials said.

Kim In-jae, the director of Bucheon’s public health department, said in a briefing that three of the victims who were injured were in serious condition. Lee Sang-don, an official with the Bucheon Fire Station, said the nine-story hotel was accommodating 23 guests when the fire broke out Thursday evening.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the blaze.

Lee said the fire, which began on the eighth floor, was nearly extinguished, but that the numbers of injuries or deaths could increase as emergency workers search the building. Lee said the victims were found scattered in halls and stairways and the cause of the fire was being investigated.

More than 150 firefighters and 46 vehicles were deployed to put out the fire.