Tegal. At least six people died and eight others were hospitalized after a karaoke house caught fire in the Central Java town of Tegal on Monday.

All the victims are employees of the New Orange Karaoke House located on Veteran Street.

The deceased were allegedly exposed to carbon monoxide as the fire engulfed the three-story building, a local official said.

“No one suffered from burns but all the victims were diagnosed with suffocation,” Tegal Health Department Head Zaenal Abidin told Kompas news website.

Television networks aired the dramatic scene as firefighters use a ladder and a crane to rescue people from the building, with several female employees waving and screaming for help from a window surrounded by thick smoke coming from the inside of the building.

Authorities deployed two firefighting vehicles to put out the fire and five ambulances to transport the victims.

Tegal Police Chief Adjunct Chief Commissioner Rilly Thomas said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

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