A fire at a drug treatment center in southern Kazakhstan killed 38 people early Sunday, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Rescuers evacuated 40 people from the building in the southern town of Taldykorgan, and 45 fire fighters and seven fire engines joined the battle against the blaze that spread over an area of 650 square meters.

There was no information yet on what caused the fire.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2009)