Seven people, including three children and their mother, died early this morning in a suspected arson attack that burned down a crowded apartment on the seventh floor of a building in Nice - the largest city on the French Riviera, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
The fire started at around 3:00 a.m. local time and spread so quickly through the apartment that only people near the windows could be saved, the interior ministry said.
A teenage man, two women and three children died in the flames. One of the victims jumped out of the window, tied to a mattress.
"The mother went to take her children to safety by the window and then returned to the fire to get her three young children and never came back," the ministry representative said.
The prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into possible arson.
The city's mayor, Christian Estrosi, said people wearing balaclavas were seen on CCTV footage in area.
The building is located in the "Moulin" district - an area with dilapidated social housing.
Caretaker Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and acting Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin will go to the scene of the incident.