Four Chinese die in Hiroshima hotel fire

Tokyo (CNS) -- Seven people, four of whom were Chinese, died in a fire that broke out Sunday morning at the Hotel Prince in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka confirmed on Tuesday.

The victims were two couples from Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces, according to the announcement.

Local police suspect that an electrical defect may have caused the blaze. The city government of Fukuyama revealed that the hotel was found in violation of building standards during an inspection in September 2011.