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Eight Students Killed, 25 Injured in Fire Near Seoul
A fire swept through a private boarding school in South Korea, killing eight students and injuring 25, police said Thursday.
Most of the victims suffocated after inhaling toxic smoke from the fire that gutted the four-story Yeji Institute near Kwangju, 20 miles south of Seoul, shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
Some of those injured were in critical condition, and police said the death toll could rise.
Citing witnesses, investigators said the blaze started in a smoking lounge on the top floor and spread quickly downward, engulfing the entire brick and wood building in less than 30 minutes. Burning cigarettes may have started the fire, police said.
The school houses about 100 students preparing for college entrance exams.
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