5 dead, 37 injured in S.Korea hospital fire

SEOUL: At least five people were killed and 37 others injured due to a fire at a hospital in Icheon, some 50 km southeast of Seoul, officials said.

The fire broke out at 10.17 a.m. (local time) at the dialysis hospital on the top floor of the four-storey building, where 46 people, including 33 patients, were staying, Yonhap News Agency quoted the officials as saying.

The victims, which included three patients, were all found on the fourth floor.

Mobilising 21 fire trucks and 51 personnel, firefighters completely extinguished the fire at 11.29 a.m. (local time) before sending in rescuers to the fourth floor to see if anyone needed help.

Fire authorities assume the blaze started at a screen golf facility on the building's third floor although a probe is needed to determine exactly where and why the fire started.

The building also houses an oriental medical clinic and offices on the second and third floors and restaurants on the first floor, according to the officials.