Eight villagers died when they were trying to put out a forest fire in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said local authorities on Saturday.

The forest fire broke out on Saturday afternoon near Fodong Village, Xunyang County, said the Xunyang county government.

Eight out of nine villagers suffered serious injuries while they were trying to quench the blaze. They died despite doctors' efforts.

All residents near the fire scene have been relocated to safe areas. Fire fighting efforts continued late Saturday night.

Due to the poor telecommunications services in the remote village, authorities are still checking the situation.

The cause of the fire is unclear.