Firefighters work as smoke billows from a hospital in Miryang, South Korea. Photo / AP
Firefighters work as smoke billows from a hospital in Miryang, South Korea. Photo / AP
A health official says the death toll from a hospital fire in South Korea has risen to 39.
Local health official Cheon Jae-kyung says 10 others are in critical condition from Friday's fire at Sejong Hospital in the southeastern city of Miryang.
He says most of the dead victims werekilled by smoke inhalation.
Firefighters inspect a burnt hospital after a fire in Miryang. Photo / AP
The fire started at around 7.30am on Friday at the rear of the emergency room on the first floor of Sejong Hospital and it was mostly extinguished after a few hours, Choi Man-woo, the head of Miryang city's fire station, told a televised media briefing.
Miryang is about 270km southeast of the capital, Seoul.
Firefighters had evacuated around roughly 200 people from the main hospital building and nursing home directly behind the hospital, Choi said.
The presidential Blue House in Seoul said in a mobile message President Moon Jae-in had called an emergency meeting of his aides to address measures regarding the fire.
