TAIPEI » An official says nine people died and 12 others were injured in a fire at a pub in the central Taiwanese city of Taichung.

The official from the Taichung Fire Department says preliminary investigations show that the fire broke out at the pub early Sunday after a performance involving the use of LED lighting went awry. The official declined to be identified because she is not authorized to speak to the press.

Local media are reporting that the packed pub first caught fire from sparks from an LED torch used by a performer, and that several bodies were found trapped on the staircase between the first and second floors.