Firemen battle a blaze in the Blue House hotel in Punta Arenas, Chile, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007. Ten tourists from Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands were reported dead. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

SANTIAGO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ten foreign tourists died in a hotel fire in the resort city of Punta Arenas in southern Chile on Saturday, a local TV station reported.

    Sixteen people were staying in the Blue House hotel, which is located in the city center, when the fire broke out, fire officers said.

    Ten people died of suffocation, including two children and a pregnant woman, they said.

    The dead included two Argentine, four German and two Dutch tourists. The remaining two victims were suspected to be tourists from Canada.

    Six tourists managed to escape from the hotel with injuries, according to police.

    The fire started in the kitchen and dining room on the first floor of the two-story hotel. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, police said.

    Punta Arenas, 3,140 kilometers from Santiago, is Chile's southernmost city. It is a popular jumping off point for Patagonia-region attractions, most notably the world-renowned Torres del Paine National Park.