Flames and smoke billow from an eight-storey building after a fire broke out in Jecheon. -AFp

SEOUL: Sixteen people were killed and 22 injured in a major blaze at a building housing a sports centre and public bath in the central South Korean city of Jecheon, the fire agency said Thursday.

"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.