Five children were among ten people confirmed dead in a council block fire in south-eastern France on Friday.
The blaze broke out in the building on an estate in Vaulx-en-Velin, near Lyon, in the early hours of the morning.
“The fire was reported just after 3am,” said a spokesman for local emergency services. “Emergency vehicles including 65 fire lorries attended, along with 170 firefighters. The fire is in the Mas du Taureau area of Vaulx-en-Velin.”
By 8am, the provisional death toll was 10, including the five children, said the spokesman. Four others were in a critical condition, including two fire fighters, and no identities were initially released for any of the victims.
A resident of the block, who asked not to be named, said: “We heard screams, including children screaming.
“When we opened the windows, we saw smoke coming out, and we immediately got out of the building. I’m in floods of tears when thinking about all the victims.”
And another local resident said: “I was woken up by the screams. We wanted to help people, but the smoke was too heavy. I saw a dead woman. It’s terrible.
“I told my kid not to go to school, because he’s so shocked. It traumatised him to hear screams like that, screams of horror.”
Gerald Darmanin, France’s Interior Minister, said he planned to attend the scene of the blaze.
“We do not know the cause of the fire,” said Mr Darmanin. “There are a number of possibilities, and an enquiry will be opened. Some of the victims are as young as three-years-old.”
Housing minister Olivier Klein also confirmed he would be travelling to Vaulx-en-Velin, saying: “I am going there this morning to be alongside the residents, local officials and the emergency services.”
Fires in decaying council blocks have become a huge political issue in France in recent decades.
Underfunding and poor security measures are frequently blamed for the lethal blazes, which often involved the poorest members of society.
