Lucknow, June 19 (IANS): Ten people were killed and more than a dozen injured on Friday when a massive fire broke out in a hotel in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

The toll is likely to go up as the condition of some those with serious burn injuries is said to be very critical.

The incident took place at Hotel Aryan on the Allahabad-Faizabad highway at Babaganj.

Eleven of the total 16 rooms in the hotel were occupied when a fire broke out early morning. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but firemen took more than five hours to contain the blaze.

Locals spotted people crying out for help.

Senior district officials are overseeing the rescue operations. The injured are being treated at hospitals and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.

Some of the dead are from Lucknow, an official told IANS.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has extended his condolences to the families of those killed and has announced ex-gratia to them.