Hanoi - Nine members of one family were found dead in a locked room in their house in southern Vietnam, local media said Saturday.

Ho Chi Minh City firefighters broke into a house in the city's District 12 Friday night after witnesses reported they saw smoke coming from the house and discovered the burnt bodies, the news website VNExpress said.

Eight of the bodies were found lying on a burned mattress, while the other body was found near the door of the room, the report said.

Police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards. The victims were identified as Nguyen Van Cao, 83, his wife Nguyen Thi Kich, 78, their five children and two grandchildren.

A witness was quoted as saying that the house is surrounded by bushes and trees, and that family members generally stayed inside and had little communication with their neighbors. (dpa)