PARIS: Eleven people were feared to have been killed in a fire in a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France, local authorities said on Wednesday.
“We’re almost certain of the death of the missing people,” senior local official Christophe Marot said on the site of the fire, France 3 TV reported on its website.
“We’re cautious until we’ve located all the bodies,” he added. France 3 reported that the missing included 10 adults with disabilities and one staff member.
The holiday home located in the town of Wintzenheim about 70 km (50 miles) south of Strasbourg was rented by a charity that takes care of people with learning disabilities, France 3 said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also said, without giving details, that there were likely several casualties after the fire ravaged 300 square meters of the 500-square meter building.
Rescue operations were still ongoing, he said. Seventeen people were evacuated, one of whom was sent to hospital, the local prefecture said.
It said that those missing were from a group of people from the city of Nancy, a two-hour drive away.
The fire broke out at 0630 am (0430GMT) and fire brigades quickly put out the fire, the prefecture said.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was headed to the site. “My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” she posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
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