An early-morning apartment fire near Lyon, France has killed 10, including five children, and injured at least 14 others, according to multiple reports.

The fire started at around 3 a.m. on the ground floor of a multistory apartment building in the town of Vaulx-en-Velin, according to French authorities,per CNN.

OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty

Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work in a building of the Mas-Du-Taureau quarter where a fire caused many victims, including children, in Vaulx-en-Velin, east of Lyon, south-eastern France, on December 16, 2022.

“They tried to save as many people as possible, in very difficult conditions,” Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior ministertold reporters. “It’s obviously shocking, given the very heavy toll.”

Darmanin said the children who were killed ranged in age from 3 to 15.

Policemen guard a security perimeter as firefighters and rescuers work outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022

Witnesses described hearing cries from occupants inside the building.

A firefighter vehicle is parked outside a seven-storey apartment building where five children including a three-year-old were among 10 people killed when a fire broke out in in the Mas-Du-Taureau neighbourhood of Vaulx-en-Velin, in the northern outskirts of Lyon, on December 16, 2022

“There was a dad who was shouting ‘My kids, my kids, save my kids,'” a resident named Rida told the news channel. “It’s really tragic, it’s a shock, my legs are shaking. We all know each other.”

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source: people.com