Seoul, Dec 18 (IANS): At least 18 people were taken to hospitals on Sunday night in a hotel fire that broke out in South Korea's western port city of Incheon.
The fire began at about 9:01 p.m. local time from the parking lot of the hotel with three storeys below and 18 storeys above ground in Incheon, Xinhua news agency reported.
The 18 people were taken to hospitals for treatment after inhaling smoke or suffering back and ankle pains. They were sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.
The fire authorities dispatched some 140 firefighters and 49 equipment to the scene, extinguishing the flame about one and a half hours later.
The authorities were investigating the exact cause of the incident.