A top firefighter reports that nine deaths have been discovered in the burning remains of a vacation home for disabled people that caught fire in eastern France.
After the fire on Wednesday, two more people were missing and presumed dead.
The commander of the rescue efforts, Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Hauwiller, told reporters, “We are looking for the bodies of those who could not leave the building.” “Nine bodies were located. Two cannot be found for now.”
According to officials, the fire started at 6:30 a.m. (04:30 GMT) and quickly destroyed the building.
A charity that cares for adults with learning difficulties rented the summer vacation home in the town of Wintzenheim, which is located about 70km south of Strasbourg.
According to the local prefecture, seventeen people were evacuated, and one of them was taken to a hospital. According to the report, the individuals who went missing were part of a group from Nancy, which is located two hours away.
Earlier, France 3 reported that 11 people—10 adults with impairments and one charity employee—were missing.
According to Leroy, who spoke to BFM, the missing people’s ages ranged from 25 to 50.
Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister, announced that she was en route. She wrote on social media, “My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.” Emmanuel Macron, the president, described the fire as a “tragedy”.