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 were killed by smoke inhalation.
The cause of the blaze is unknown.
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.
Earlier on Friday, news channel YTN showed black smoke billowing from the windows and entrance to the hospital and flames flickering.
At least one patient was shown being carried from the hospital on another person's back, covered in blankets.
People evacuated from the hospital were being treated at four other hospitals nearby, YTN said.
The fire comes just a month after 29 people were killed in a blaze at an eight- storey fitness centre in Jecheon City.
It was the country's deadliest blaze over the past decade before the hospital fire.
- AP
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