VIENNA 

At least three people died after a fire broke out at a hospital near Austria’s capital Vienna, an official said on Tuesday.

The fire erupted in a room of the Modling hospital late at night, according to the regional health agency of the Lower Austria state.

The fire spread quickly, killing three people while 20 others were affected by the smoke, the agency’s spokesman said.

The affected patients were transferred to nearby hospitals.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the incident.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara