Hotel fire kills 2 on Russia's Olkhon Island

APD NEWS

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Two people were killed and seven others wounded in a fire that broke out at a hotel on Olkhon Island in Russia's Lake Baikal, local media reported Monday.

The fire broke out on Sunday morning in the hotel that hosted eight South Korean nationals, 24 Chinese and two Russians, TASS news agency reported, citing rescuers.

According to a statement released Monday by the Chinese Consulate General in Irkutsk, a preliminary report suggests that the two victims may be Chinese nationals, and the Consulate General is contacting related departments to confirm their identities.

One Chinese national who was wounded in the fire returned home on Monday morning with the assistance of the Consulate General after receiving treatment in a hospital in Irkutsk, the statement said.

TASS reported that five people including four South Korean tourists were hospitalized and were in stable condition.

Olkhon Island is the largest island in Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia with tourism as an important part of its economy.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)