The death toll from the fire in a residential building in Shantou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday night has risen to 12, reported Xinhua News Agency.

The blaze erupted in the four-story building on Danfeng Road in Chaonan district at 9:20 pm and was extinguished at 10:03 pm, engulfing 150 square meters of the building, according to the district's fire and rescue department.

It killed eight people on the spot and injured four others, who were rushed to the hospital for treatment but later succumbed to their injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.