Six people were killed and 11 others injured following a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, on Thursday, the firefighting authorities said.

According to the Gyeonggi Province firefighting headquarters, the fire began on the eighth floor of the nine-story hotel at 7:39 p.m.

A firefighting official said the number of casualties could grow as firefighters were continuing to rescue the guests.

Officials earlier said four of the guests had been in cardiac arrest, while others sustained injuries after jumping out the windows and onto an inflatable mattress.

Firefighting authorities dispatched 46 vehicles and about 150 firefighters to the scene.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min called for all-out efforts by firefighting authorities and the local government to extinguish the fire and rescue people using all available personnel and equipment.

This photo provided by Bucheon Fire Station shows a hotel on fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul, on Aug. 22, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Source: Yonhap Ne
ws Agency