At least three people were killed and seven injured in an early morning fire that blazed through an inn Sunday in a small western city in South Korea, dpa quoted local media as reporting. At 35-year-old Nepalese worker was among the deceased. The fire broke out around 4 am at the inn in the city of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, located about 100 kilometres southwest of Seoul. Among the injured was the innkeeper, identified by Korean broadcaster YTN as Yoon Mo, 76. The victims were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns, police said. The death toll was likely to rise, as at least one of the injured was in critical condition. Authorities were still investigating the cause of the fire, as preliminary reports suggested that either a short circuit or an overheated heater could be to blame. The inn, located in a northern neighborhood of Seosan called Eupnae-dong, was built about 40 years ago. Due to the building"s age, smoke was particularly thick, police reported. Because of its cheap rates, the inn was a popular long-term residence for low-income laborers. The deceased Nepalese man, who lived on the second floor of the inn, had arrived in South Korea in October 2000, police said.
