?

SANTIAGO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A fire at a private nursing home in southern Chile on Tuesday claimed the lives of 10 elderly women, local officials said.

The fire broke out between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. local time at the Santa Maria Nursing Home in Chiguayante, a city in Chile's Biobio region, according to Governor Jorge Ulloa.

The victims were sleeping at that time, according to police, who are investigating the causes of the blaze.

Another three people who were also in the wing that caught fire managed to escape. A total of 42 elderly people live at the facility.

Following the tragedy, President Sebastian Pinera visited the site, located some 530 km south of the capital Santiago, accompanied by other officials, including the national director of the country's elderly services, Octavio Vergara.

Pinera said proposed pension reforms would include "a special chapter to help the elderly, especially those who cannot care for themselves."

He noted, "In Chile, we increasingly have more elderly people."

Chilean Social Development Minister Alfredo Moreno said the home had "all of its regulations and records up to date," so authorities would wait for the police to conclude their investigation into the causes of the fire.

An aerial photograph of the home, published by the daily El Mercurio Online, showed most of the three-building complex was destroyed, with one completely burnt to the ground.

Area residents said the 50-year-old nursing home had a good reputation.