Six dead in Malaysia karaoke fire

Six people, including three foreigners, were killed when a fire broke out Wednesday in a Malaysian karaoke centre, with rescuers describing scenes of chaos as the blaze engulfed the building.

The fire erupted before dawn on the fourth floor of an eight-storey building in the city of Ipoh, northern Perak state.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and found the bodies of six people who had died of smoke inhalation, Perak fire department acting director Sayani Saidon told AFP.

"We came across two locals, two Vietnamese women and a Bangladeshi man. We are still determining the identity of the sixth person," she said.

Firefighters rescued eight people alive, including two in critical condition, she added.

People inside were unable to find the way out after the fire erupted as exit lights did not come on, she said. Those that survived had run to an upper level to escape the flames.

"When the fire happened, all the electricity went out, and it was dark, so the exit signs weren´t clear," she said.

The building was originally an office block, and had 30 karaoke rooms on the fourth and fifth floors.