At least 17 people are known to have died in a fire at a hotel in central Paris.
About 50 people have also been injured – 12 of them seriously – while the death toll is expected to climb today as rescuers reach the upper floor of the building.
According to the BBC News website, the blaze in the Paris-Opera hotel started at around 02.00 local time on the first floor. It is not yet known how the fire started.
The website reports that many of the 76 guests were African immigrants waiting to be rehomed, and that the dead include a number of children.
A fire service spokesman is quoted as saying that fire swept through the building via the stairwell, adding: “The toll is provisional because we fear we might find more victims on the upper floors.”
One nearby resident is quoted as saying that he saw three people jump from the hotel to avoid the fire.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
