Seven people have been killed and twelve others injured in a fire at a hotel near the South Korean capital, Seoul.

The local fire department said it received a report shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Thursday that smoke was coming out of a guest room on the eighth floor of the nine-story hotel in the city of Bucheon.

South Korea's public broadcaster KBS said the seven people who died were South Korean nationals.

Reports say there were 23 guests in the building when the fire broke out, and many of the bodies were found in guest rooms, hallways and stairs.

Local media said smoke spread inside the building, causing a large number of casualties.

The police and fire department officials are investigating the cause of the blaze.

The hotel is in an urban area about 7 kilometers southwest of Gimpo Airport in Seoul.