Children killed in S Korean fire

Children killed in S Korean fire

Police are trying to determine the cause of the fire

Eight school children have died in South Korea after a fire broke out in a football training centre dormitory.

At least 17 other people were injured, six of them seriously, as toxic smoke filled the cramped, one-storey building.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.

But it came amid widespread calls for improved safety standards in South Korea, after a fire in an underground train station killed nearly 200 people in the city of Daegu in February.

Authorities said the dormitory caught fire late on Wednesday night near the town of Chonan, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the capital Seoul.

The fire was quickly put out, but firefighters blamed poor safety standards for the high death toll.

They said the walls, ceiling and floor were made of easily flammable materials which caused the toxic smoke.

There were also reports that some of the building's windows were obstructed by furniture and its door was too narrow.

The dead and injured were members of a football team training at the centre. The team's coach was among those hospitalised.

The children's ages ranged from nine to 13.