Fire at Buddhist temple kills 7 in Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A fire ripped through a Buddhist temple in Indonesia's North Sumatra province at the weekend, killing seven people and injuring eight, police said on Monday.

The victims were sleeping on the second floor of the Vihara Buddhist Aloviestra temple when the fire broke out before dawn on Sunday, said Eriwan Saragih, a local police officer.

Some people were hurt after they flung themselves off the second floor to escape the fire, the officer said.

The victims were spending the night at the temple after working on preparations for celebrations for the Buddhist Day of Enlightenment, which falls on May 20, he said.

Police said the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit.

Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but has sizeable minorities of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and other religions.