At least 10 people died in a fire in a railway workers' dormitory late Monday night here, the capital of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the local fire department said.

Firemen brought the blaze under control half an hour after it broke out at 10:30 p.m. Monday.

Fourteen other workers in the dormitory were hospitalized after suffering burns, with six of them were severely injured.

Doctors from PLA No. 253 Hospital in Hohhot said four of the severely injured are in a critical condition.

The dormitory belongs to the No. 19 subsidiary of the China Railway Group Limited in Saihan District, Hohhot. The company's workers are building a railway tunnel.

Hu Kaijun, one of the injured, told Xinhua the fire engulfed seven rooms of the workers' dormitory where 35 were supposed to live.

Baoribatu, director of the production safety bureau in Hohhot, said not all of the workers were staying in the dorm when the accident happened, as they work shifts.

Rescuers confirmed 10 people died and 14 others were injured in the accident.

"I was about to go on night shift when I saw dense smoke from one of the dorms. I also heard a sound like a wire catching fire," said worker Hu Kaijun with a frail voice and an injured leg.

He said he smashed the dorm window and helped four escape.

The city's production safety authority is investigating the fire.

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