In France, 11 killed in fire at holiday home for disabled people
- The fire struck deep in the night while the guests were asleep, with many of those on the upper floor unable to react fast enough to save their lives
- The fire department deployed 76 firefighters, four fire engines and four ambulances to contain the blaze and treat the victims
Eleven people died in a fire that tore through a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France early on Wednesday, officials said.
The blaze broke out before 6.30am (0430 GMT), as the holiday-goers with learning disabilities and their carers were still asleep in the two-storey building in the town of Wintzenheim, about 70km (50 miles) south of Strasbourg.
“I can confirm there are 11 victims,” deputy prosecutor Nathalie Kielwasser told reporters as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and other officials visited the site of the fire.
With corpses being brought out of the ravaged building, Borne expressed her “sadness” over the “appalling” disaster.
A firefighter told Borne, who described the blaze as a “shocking tragedy,” that eight bodies had been found and three more were thought to have been located under the rubble.
Local media said the dead were 10 people with disabilities and one carer.
The holiday home was rented for the summer by two charities that take care of people with learning disabilities, with each group occupying one floor of the house. Twenty-eight people were staying there, 17 of whom managed to escape the fire.
