16 dead in sauna blaze

"All victims were found at a public sauna in the building," a spokesman for the National Fire Agency told AFP.

Television footage showed eight-storey building consumed by flames and issuing dark plumes of smoke, as several people stood waiting for help on the outdoor terrace.

The fire -- believed to have started at a parking lot on the first floor -- has been mostly put out, but the death toll may rise further as firefighters continue to search the building, the spokesman said.