The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that 8 Chinese citizens were killed in a fire in the Republic of Korea and 17 Chinese were injured.

The fire occurred at a detention facility for foreigners in Yeosu, 450 km south of Seoul, Sunday morning, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul confirmed.

The Chinese side has urged the ROK side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents, said the ministry, adding that the details on casualties and the cause of the fire disaster is under investigation.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to this case and requested the ROK to make full efforts to treat the injured and offer proper arrangements for the deceased, said the ministry.

"According to the list provided by local hospitals, the 17 injured Chinese people are receiving medical treatment in hospitals," Zhao Dengyu,a consul of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said.

Reports said the fire broke out at 3:55 a.m. (1855 GMT, Saturday) Sunday morning in a four-story immigration detention facility in Yeosu where 55 foreigners were detained then. At least nine foreigners were killed in the accident.

The Chinese Embassy has sent two diplomats to the spot to get more information, visit the injured and deal with remaining issues, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Source: Xinhua