KUNMING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Eight people have been confirmed dead after a fire broke out at a shop in southwest China's Yunnan Province early Saturday, local authorities said Monday.

The fire started in a shop in Chenggong District in the provincial capital Kunming at around 2 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control at 2:50 a.m.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. ■