A fire broke out in a hospice in Janseong county, South Korea early Wednesday morning, taking the lives of at least 20 patients and one nurse, officials said.

Hyosarang Hospital, the hospital where the fire broke out, specializes in care for the elderly, helping those with dementia, palsy, and other chronic diseases.

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Reportedly, at least six other people were injured in the incident and are currently hospitalized and in critical condition.

There were 35 employees and patients on the second floor of the hospice where the fire broke out just a little after midnight; the 45 people on the first floor all managed to escape without injury. 

Officials with the Jangseong Fire Department were unable to immediately specify what caused the fire.

The blaze was put out after about six minutes, but authorities stated that those who died suffocated on poisonous gases given off by the flames.

Most of the victims who died were in their 70s and 80s and therefore confined to their beds, reports stated.

This is only one in a series of disasters which have left South Korea reeling. The most well-known is the ferry disaster in which a ferry sunk off the coast last month leaving over 300 people dead.

The search for dozens of victims from the ferry sinking is still underway.

A subway crash earlier this month in the South Korean capital of Seoul resulted in dozens of people injured.

Wednesday's incident is the second deadly blaze to strike the nation. On Tuesday, seven died and 20 were injured in a fire at a bus terminal in Goyang city.

The recent disasters have caused a global focus to hone in on recent safety lapses in South Korea and President Park Geun Hye has made promises to overhaul public safety mechanisms in the country in hopes that future incidents such as these can be prevented.