Eight people were charred to death and 16 others injured when a fire gutted a hotel in northern China's Shanxi province early this morning.
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The fire broke out at Jintian Hotel in Luliang city and within minutes set ablaze all its seven floors, state agency Xinhua reported.
Rescuers fished out seven bodies from the site after the fire was doused. All the injured were rushed to a local hospital where they were out of danger, a spokesman with Luliang city government told Xinhua.
One of the injured died in hospital failing to respond to emergency treatment.
The blaze was put out at around 9:30 am (local time) and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Xinhua said.
The identities of the dead are not immediately known.
Some of the hotel rooms were leased to businesses, including a local television and some advertisement companies and travel services, the spokesman said.
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