A fire at a vacation rental in France that was housing persons with learning impairments resulted in the discovery of nine bodies, and two more people are now thought dead.
After emergency services were notified of the fire in La Forge at 07:30 local time (04:30 GMT) on Wednesday, around 80 firefighters were dispatched to the scene.
According to a local official, the missing people are thought to be “potentially deceased”.
Although the fire has already been put out, its origin is still unknown.
A minimum of one person has been taken to the hospital, and seventeen individuals were evacuated from the premises.
According to the leader of the rescue effort, a search is currently being conducted for the bodies of the two victims who are still missing.
Earlier, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said it was possible that the fire caused a number of casualties.
About 70 kilometres (50 miles) south of Strasbourg, in the vicinity of Wintzenheim, which is close to the German border, the fire first appeared.
The Haut-Rhin region’s local administration provided an update at noon local time, stating that two groups of adults from two different charities for individuals with disabilities were using the cottage.
One group was from Nancy, another city in eastern France, according to an earlier announcement.
76 firefighters and four fire engines were dispatched to put out the fire. Despite the intensity of the fire, it was immediately brought under control, the statement continued.
All 11 people who were first listed as missing after the fire, according to the director of the Bas-Rhin prefecture, are now thought to be “potentially deceased,” according to AFP.
According to Christophe Marot, those on the ground floor were able to immediately exit the building, but those in the upper floors were unable to do so.
The emergency services were congratulated for their quick response to the “tragedy” by French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed his sympathies for the victims and their families.
Elisabeth Borne, the French prime minister, and Aurore Bergé, the minister for families, are in route to Wintzenheim.
Pictures captured early on Wednesday morning in La Forge show the partially wooden residence practically totally flames.
The structure is an ancient barn that has been transformed into a three-story vacation home. Before they were able to put it out, the fire department reported that two-thirds of it was on fire.