A total of 10 people, including eight Japanese tourists, were killed, and six others were injured Saturday afternoon in a fire at an indoor shooting range in Busan, a southern port city of South Korea, local media quoted police as saying.
The fire broke out at about 02:26 p.m. local time at the second- floor indoor shooting range which was located in a five-story building in the second largest city of South Korea, and was quelled at around 03:04 p.m., police said, Xinhua reported.
Preliminary investigation showed that the fire started in a lounge adjacent to the shooting range, where seven bodies have been found later, and eight bodies believed to be Japanese tourists who were visiting the shooting range as part of the tour program, with the two others South Koreans, the police said.
"The victims apparently died in short term as they were trapped inside the airproof shooting range," the police added.
Most of the victims were believed to have died from severe burns, the police said, adding that the death toll is feared to rise, because many of the injured are in critical condition.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire, according to the police.
Eyewitnesses told local media that they saw black smoke coming out of the building after a loud bang.