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BLAZE TRAGEDY
France fire: 11 burned to death in holiday let for disabled people after horror blaze erupts in their sleep
ELEVEN people have been killed after a huge fire erupted at a holiday home for the disabled as they slept.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene as flames engulfed the cottage in the eastern town of Wintzenheim in France early on Wednesday.
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Emergency crews rescued 17 people from the burning building but 11 adults - one guide and ten guests - were unable to escape.
The bodies of those missing have since been found in the rubble.
Local authorities said the horror blaze broke out at about 6.30am local time (4.30am BST) and was “very violent”.
It swept through the building before being brought under control by 76 firefighters.
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Hauwiller said only those who were staying on the ground floor of the private accommodation were able to escape the raging flames.
But the 11 remaining occupants were trapped on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area that collapsed, according to Hauwiller.
Police said 17 people were evacuated from the property - including one rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
A group of people from the city of Nancy, a two-hour drive away, were staying in the cottage.
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The fire broke out so early that "people were caught in their sleep," Wintzenheim deputy mayor Daniel Leroy told BFM TV.
He said those missing were likely to have been aged between 25 and 50.
Shocking pictures show firefighters working at the burnt-out cottage.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was headed to the site, adding on social media: "My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones."
Mathieu Klein, the mayor of Nancy, said: "Deeply bruised by the terrible fire this morning in Wintzenheim of a lodging which welcomed people with disabilities from Nancy.
"I send my greatest support and my thoughts to the families of the victims."
A spokesman for the fire and rescue service said the blaze was "quickly brought under control despite the violent flames".
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
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French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "In the face of this tragedy, my thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families.
"Thank you to our security forces and emergency services."
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