Thirty-seven people were killed and more than 40 injured in a hospital fire in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, early Friday, firefighters said.

The death toll could rise because some of the rescued patients are in critical conditions.

Firefighters try to put out the fire at Sejong Hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongnam Province, which went up in flames at 7:30 a.m. Friday, killing 37 and injuring more than 40. Credit: Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency

The blaze started at about 7:30 a.m. in the emergency room of Sejong Hospital in the city, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the authorities. Firefighters put out the fire in one hour and 40 minutes.

They have transferred the 40-odd injured patients to four nearby hospitals, and are evacuating the remaining patients. Estimates say there were about 100 hospitalized patients within the building. The local authorities have also evacuated all 93 patients residing in an adjacent elderly long-term care facility, run by the hospital.

The fire follows one that occurred late December at a nine-story sports complex in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, which killed 29 and injured 36.

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