France: 11 killed after massive fire breaks out in vacation home for people with disabilities
"Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department, whom I salute, several casualties are reported," said French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin in a tweet.
At least eleven people were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday morning at a vacation home for disabled people in France, according to authorities. All the eleven persons were previously unaccounted for and were feared dead by authorities.
The fire broke out in the small town of Wintzenheim at 6:30 am (local time) and spread across 300 square metres. Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar city, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape.
"A fire took place early this morning in a facility for disabled people in Wintzenheim, in the Haut-Rhin. Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department, whom I salute, several casualties are reported. Rescue operations are ongoing," tweeted French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
In a statement, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to those affected by the incident. "Faced with this tragedy, my thoughts go out to the victims, to the injured, to their loved ones. Thank you to our security forces and our mobilized emergency services," he said.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and french minister for solidarity and family Aurore Bergé will travel to the city. "My first thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones," Borne said.
Meanwhile, 17 people have been evacuated, including one who has been sent to a hospital in "relative emergency". As many as 76 firefighters, four fire trucks and ambulances each were deployed to bring the blaze under control, said the Haut-Rhin local administration. Eleven people are still missing, they further informed.
Christophe Marot, a senior official in Haut Rhin told CNN that the 11 people were "potentially dead." The group was visiting the vacation home from the city of Nancy, which is about 140 kilometers northwest of Wintzenheim.
All the visitors were adults between 27 to 50 years old, said Wintzenheim Deputy Mayor Daniel Leroy. He said that the building was "completely destroyed" by the fire and people were trapped.
Wintzenheim is located close to the border with Germany.
(With AP inputs)
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