At least 6 dead, 11 injured in hotel fire in South Korea: Report

SEOUL: A fire at a hotel in South Korea killed at least six people and injured 11 others, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday (Aug 22), citing fire authorities.
Of the 11 who were injured, three had serious injuries while the other eight had minor injuries, Yonhap said, adding that they were taken to hospital.
The fire began on the eighth floor of a nine-storey hotel in Bucheon, south of the capital Seoul at around 7.40pm, reported Yonhap, citing the Gyeonggi Province fire authorities.
A total of 46 fire trucks and 150 firefighters have been dispatched to the incident, it added.
A firefighting official said the number of casualties could grow as firefighters are continuing to rescue the guests.
According to Yonhap, officials said earlier that four of the guests had been in cardiac arrest. Others were also injured after jumping out the windows and onto an inflatable mattress.
Some of those who died jumped from their rooms when the fire broke out, reported the news agency.
Casualties were also found in the hotel’s stairwells and hallways, said Yonhap, citing a Bucheon City official.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min called for all-out efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue people, said the report.