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Eleven feared dead in France after fire in holiday home

09 August 2023 14:42 (UTC +04:00)

Eleven people are missing after a fire at a holiday home hosting people with learning disabilities in France, APA reports citing BBC.

Nearly 80 firefighters were sent to the blaze in La Forge after emergency services were alerted at 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT) on Wednesday.

The 11 missing people are considered "potentially deceased", a local official told AFP news agency.

The fire started at a property used by a charity helping people with disabilities.

Seventeen people were evacuated from the building, while at least one person has been taken to hospital. The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

Confirming a rescue operation is ongoing, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said it was likely there were several casualties from the fire in the town, which is located near Wintzenheim close to the German border.

In a statement, the local government for the Haut-Rhin region said the 11 people missing were part of a group from Nancy, also in eastern France.

Four fire engines and 76 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze, who quickly brought it under under control despite the strength of the fire, it added.

The head of the Bas-Rhin prefecture in eastern France said the people missing in the fire were now considered "potentially deceased", AFP reports.

Christophe Marot said the people who were inside the building when the blaze broke out have not been found.

Those on the ground floor were able to quickly leave the building but people upstairs could not, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the victims and their families and thanked the emergency services for responding to the "tragedy".

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and families minister Aurore Bergé are on their way to Wintzenheim.

Photographs published in local media show the partially wooden cottage in La Forge almost entirely ablaze early on Wednesday morning.

The building is an old barn converted into a three-storey holiday home. Firefighters said two thirds of it was on fire before they managed to bring it under control.