At least 38 workers were killed and 10 others injured in a fire that broke out at a warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported citing rescue officials.

A CGTN reporter confirmed with the Chinese embassy in South Korea that one Chinese national died in the fire.

Firefighters said the fire started with an explosion around 1:32 p.m. local time while workers were working on an underground level of the warehouse, and spread all over the building in an instant. It was extinguished at around 6:42 p.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The causalities may increase as the whereabouts of the majority of the 78 people believed to have been working at the site are not confirmed, Yonhap said. 

President Moon Jae-in ordered government officials to spare no effort for the search and rescue operation by mobilizing all available resources, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.

Moon hosted an emergency meeting with his aides late at night and ordered thorough rescue operations and medical support for the injured.