Eighteen killed in massage parlour fire in China

Beijing : At least 18 people were killed and another 18 were injured in a fire at a foot massage parlour in China, state media and police said.

The fire broke out at around 5:26 pm (0926 GMT) Sunday in eastern Zhejiang province, the official Xinhua news agency reported. It was extinguished in less than two hours.

Eight died in the fire, while another 10 died in hospital, according to Xinhua.

Video posted on Chinese social media website Weibo showed thick black smoke billowing from the massage parlour and people jumping out of the second-floor window of the six-storey building.

The cause of the fire is unclear, Xinhua said.