Three people were killed and two others badly injured in a fire that engulfed a 15-floor hotel in Fuzhou, capital of eastern China's Fujian Province Tuesday.

The fire erupted at about 3 PM Tuesday on the 10th floor of the hotel, witnesses said.

The blaze quickly spread to other floors, sending huge columns of smoke into the sky.

Five people jumped out of a window on the 10th floor, and three of them died on the spot, said the spokesman. The two seriously injured have been hospitalized.

More than 170 firefighters rushed to the site and evacuated over 100 people from the hotel.

Investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2005)