ALOR STAR: Two men and a woman were killed after they were trapped in a fire at the D'Eagle Lounge and KTV outlet in Jalan Putra, Mergong here this morning.
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Syufa'at Kamaron said the victims were found in two separate karaoke rooms by firefighters who searched the premises after putting out the fire.
"The first body was found at about 12.39pm in the VVIP room located on the ground floor.
"The second body was found in the VVIP2 room at about 12.58pm and the third body was found at 1.13pm also in the same room.
"All victims were confirmed dead by the Health Ministry's response team," he said.
Syufa'at said the victims were identified as, Mak Barry, 30; Kim Mei Ki, 31; and Jeffry Tan Wui, 30.
It is learnt that one of them was the older brother of the karaoke outlet's owner.
According to Syufa'at, firemen from two stations were sent to the scene after receiving a distress call at about 10.19am.
"Upon arriving, we were informed that there were 22 people in the building when the fire broke out but 19 of them managed to get out.
"The two-storey building was blanketed by thick smoke so we had to break the door and use ventilation fans while putting out the fire to clear the smoke," he told reporters at the scene.
Syufa'at said the cause of death of the three victims were still unknown.
He added that investigations were underway to identify the cause of fire and losses incurred.