Two people died and nine were injured in a fire at a hotel in the centre of Prague on Saturday night, fire and rescue officials said.

The fire occurred at Eurostars David Hotel, a block away from the Vltava River and near the Czech capital's National Theatre.

Of those hurt, five people were seriously injured, the Prague Emergency Medical Service said.

"Unfortunately we were not able to help two people," the EMS said on its Twitter.

No other details on the victims were given.

Seznam Zpravy news website reported the hotel has 152 beds.

Rescue officials had earlier said 40 were injured, although Czech media reported that most were treated for smoke inhalation on the spot and not taken to hospital.

The cause of the fire was not clear.