SEOUL, July 25, 2008 (AFP) - Six people were killed and four seriously injured when fire broke out in a 10-storey building in South Korea early Friday, the official Yonhap news agency reported, citing police.

Firefighters were called to the blaze, which broke out on the ninth floor of a building in Yongin city south of the capital Seoul, but were unable to rescue the victims on time, the report said.

A firefighter quoted by Yonhap said the blaze only affected a small part of the building and most of the victims suffered smoke inhalation.

Police were still trying to establish the cause of the fire, the report said.

Eight more people were taken to hospital with minor injuries and have now been released, it added.