Ten elderly women died after a fire swept through their dormitories in a nursing home in the city of Chiguayante in southern Chile.

Only three women could be rescued from the two rooms which caught fire.

It is not yet known what caused the blaze but experts have been sent to the home to investigate.

There were 42 residents in the home at the time of the blaze. Officials said that luckily the flames had not spread to other dormitories.

An official said that a wood-burning stove was found inside the home. But he said that witnesses reported hearing an explosion before the fire which could indicate that there had been a short circuit.

A Chilean news channel tweeted an aerial photograph of the charred home.