At least 10 dead in Rio de Janeiro hospital blaze: fire service

At least 10 people died in a fire inside a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday evening with rescuers desperately trying to evacuate scores of patients from the building, the fire service said.

The fire broke out at dusk at the Badim hospital in the north of the city, with first reports suggesting the cause was a short circuit in a generator in the oldest part of the complex.

"At least 10 people died," the Rio de Janeiro fire department said in a statement, without specifying whether the victims were patients or workers.

"About 90 patients had to be transferred to other medical units."