Twelve people were killed and several others were wounded after a fire broke out in a girls dormitory in southern province of Adana on Tuesday.

A worker and 11 middle and high school students aged 10-16 were killed in the fire, the head of the fire brigade department in Adana said.

On Wednesday, six people, including the school dormitory manager, were detained over the deadly fire.

Adana Governor Mahmut Demirtaş later confirmed the toll and added that 22 others were saved and sent to hospital. Demirtaş said the injured students were affected by the smoke and some of them were hurt by broken glass and jumping from upper floors while they were fleeing the building.

He stated that the fire broke out after an electrical meter in the building caught fire, but the investigation was still underway.

The governor added that the three-storey building had been evacuated as fire crews battled with blazes at the school girls' dormitory.President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan telephoned Demirtaş early Wednesday and received an update on the situation, according to presidential sources.

Erdoğan said he was deeply sorry for the fire and wished mercy on those who lost their lives while hoping for a quick recovery for the wounded.The fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, Ömer Çelik, a senior government official who represents Adana province in parliament, told broadcaster CNN Türk.

The ministry of education said that the dorm's capacity was about 54 people but only 34 students had been staying in the dorms.Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, National Education Minister Ismet Yılmaz and Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya headed to Adana late on Tuesday, according to sources with the prime ministry.

The ministers arrived in the scene early on Wednesday and recevied infromation from local officials.