Fire breaks out in a nursing home at Sanlihe village of Lushan county in Pingdingshan city of Central China's Henan province on Monday.[Photo/chinanews.com]

A fire broke out in a nursing home in Central China's Henan province on Monday, killing at least 38, chinanews.com reported.

The fire occurred at Sanlihe village of Lushan county in Pingdingshan city at around 8 pm.

As of 4:30 am Tuesday, 38 were dead, four slightly hurt and two were found with severe injuries. The injured have been rushed to hospital.

The Legal Channel of Henan TV quoted a senior witness as saying that the fire was reportedly a result of circuit problem. The nursing home had more than 100 seniors, with able and disabled ones located in different parts of the building.

There may be dozens of hemiplegic paralyzed seniors trapped in their rooms when the fire started, according to the Channel.

The rescue operation is under way.