Paris, Europe Brief News – At least ten people have been killed in a fire in an apartment building near Lyon, France.
Five children all aged between three and 15 were among the victims, while four people are in a critical condition, local authorities said.
Ten other people suffered minor injuries, including two firefighters.
Olivier Klein, the minister delegate of cities and housing for the Borne region, tweeted on Friday morning: “The provisional tally sends chills down your spine.”
French Interior Interior Gérald Darmanin said that the cause of the fire is still unclear.
“There are several scenarios and a probe will be opened,” Darmanin said. He further said he was in touch with President Emmanuel Macron over the incident.
Darmanin said he arrived to the site.
A local resident told Le Progres de Lyon newspaper: “I was awakened by the screams… We wanted to help people but the smoke was too heavy. I saw a dead woman… It’s dramatic.”
Another neighbour said: “I told my kid not to go to school. It traumatised him to hear screams like that, screams of horror. My legs are shaking.”
The block of flats where the fire broke out is part of a housing project in the Lyon suburbs. The flames appear to have started on the ground floor before spreading upwards.
The neighbourhood has had a poor reputation for problems of urban decay and crime, but is undergoing a multi-million euro renovation.
