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South Korea sauna fire: At least 28 dead in major blaze at Jecheon fitness centre South Korea sauna fire: At least 29 dead in major blaze at Jecheon fitness centre
(35 minutes later)
A fire broke out in an eight-storey fitness centre in the scenic South Korean city of Jecheon on Thursday, killing 28 people, most of them as they were taking a sauna, officials said. A fire broke out Thursday at an eight-story building in the central South Korean city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 others, officials said. 
The fire started in a car parked on the first floor and spread, one official told Reuters. The fire station said 12 women and three men were known to have been killed. Thirteen bodies were unrecognisable. A Jecheon fire department official said the toll could rise as rescuers continue to search the building after putting out the fire. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules. 
The fire station official said most of the victims were found in the sauna. He said many of the people who died had been using a public bath on the second and third floors, which made it harder for them to escape. 
Jecheon is southeast of the capital Seoul and is popular with visitors to its mountains and lakes. Organisers for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics said the Olympic torch relay had been scheduled to pass through Jecheon on Friday, but the route has been revised because of the tragedy. 
More follows… Local media showed firefighters battling the blaze with trucks and helicopters, and a man jumping from a window as firefighters held a mattress below. 
It was unclear what caused the fire but it likely began at the building's parking lot, according to fire officials. The building had several restaurants and leisure facilities, including a gym, the public bath and an indoor golf practice facility, the officials said. 
AP