Twenty people have been killed in a fire at a nursing home in northern China, state news agency Xinhua reported without detailing the cause of the fire.

The fire happened in Chengde City in Hebei province at 9 pm local time on April 8, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing local authorities.

The remaining people from the nursing home have been transferred to a nearby hospital for further observation and treatment, Xinhua reported without saying how many.

Experts have gone to the nursing home to investigate the cause of the fire, the news agency said.