Fire breaks out in a nursing home at Sanlihe village of Lushan county in Pingdingshan city of Central China's Henan province on Monday.[Photo/chinanews.com]

ZHENGZHOU - Thirty-eight people were killed and six others injured in a fire at a rest home in Central China's Henan province on Monday, local authorities said Tuesday.

The inferno at the privately-owned Kangleyuan Rest Home in Lushan county, Pingdingshan city started at 7:33 pm, according to a statement issued by the provincial publicity office on Tuesday morning.

The six injured, two of which were seriously wounded, have been hospitalized, said the statement.

The blaze swept through the complex, which is home to 51 senior citizens. It was put out at around 8:22 pm.

Survivor Zhao Yulan, 82, told Xinhua that she was rescued from her room, which she shared with 11 other people.

"Only myself and one other roommate managed to get out," she said.

Relatives of some of the home's residents told Xinhua that the identification of their family members was very difficult. "The bodies were so badly burned, we couldn't tell who was who."

The rest home project was approved by the local civil affairs authorities in late 2010. Located in the county seat of Lushan, it covers an area of two hectares and has a floor space of 600 square meters.

China is facing grave challenges in caring for its rapidly greying population, which accounted for 15.5 percent of the population by the end of 2014.