New Delhi: Ten people including five were killed after a fire broke out overnight in a seven-storey apartment building in a suburb of the eastern French city of Lyon, according to news agency AFP. Fourteen people were injured, one of whom is said to be in serious condition.
The cause of the fire is unclear, authorities were quoted as saying that the fire erupted a little after 3:00 am (0200 GMT) in Vaulx-en-Velin.
The seven-storey 1960s apartment building in the Mas du Taureau neighbourhood broke out on the ground floor and quickly made its way upwards filling the stairways with smoke.
The children who died were between the ages of 3 and fifteen, according to a report by The Guardian.
According to the report, around 170 firefighters were deployed at the scene. Two firefighters were injured while trying to put out the fire.
It quoted French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, as saying that he had been in touch with president Emmanuel Macron and assured an investigation would be opened into the cause of the fire.
“We do not know the cause of the fire … there are several scenarios and a probe will be opened,” Darmanin was quoted by The Guardian.
Housing Minister Olivier Klein also said he was on the way to Vaulx-en-Velin, describing the casualty toll as "chilling".
"I am going to the scene this morning to be with the residents, the elected officials and the emergency services," Klein said on Twitter. He added that he had spoken to the mayor of the town, Hélène Geoffroy, "to assure her of the State's support".
A neighbour who lives about 100 metres away from the scene of the incident told The Guardian that they had heard screams, “scream of children when we opened the window we saw smoke so we quickly went downstairs”.