Ten people, including five children, have been killed in a fire in an apartment building near Lyon, France, the local government says.
Officials released a statement saying a "sizeable fire" broke out in a seven-storey block of flats in the suburb of Vaulx-en-Velin.
Four people are in a critical condition and 15 others reported minor injuries, including two firefighters.
The fire is now out and prosecutors are investigating its cause.
The flames appear to have started on the ground floor before spreading upwards.
"I was awakened by the screams… we wanted to help people but the smoke was too heavy. I saw a dead woman… it's dramatic," a local resident told Le Progres de Lyon newspaper.
Another resident told the AFP news agency that his friends had caught a 10-year-old boy who was thrown to safety from an upper-floor window by his mother.
Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said the children who died were all aged between three and 15.
He praised the firefighters for taking considerable risks by "climbing the building from the outside… saving children and babies up to the seventh floor". Without their "heroism" the death toll would have been much higher, he said.
The block of flats where the fire broke out is part of a housing project in the Lyon suburbs. It underwent emergency repairs in 2019 and was described as "rundown" by Lyon city authorities.
Mr Darmanin said the area was a known drug-dealing spot.
The neighbourhood has had a poor reputation for problems of urban decay and crime, but is undergoing a multi-million euro renovation.
Are you in the area? Only if it's safe to do so, you can get in touch by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
Argentina win dramatic World Cup final on penalties
'Breathless, staggering, magnificent' – was World Cup final best ever?
Fans react as Argentina win emotional rollercoaster match. Video
'Now hard to argue against Messi being football's greatest'
Elation in Argentina, sorrow in France – fans react
Argentina win 2022 World Cup final – in pictures
The forgotten women at the heart of the Bible John mystery
Ukraine chooses Eurovision act from bomb shelter
Black Americans' complex response to Harry and Meghan
Laura Kuenssberg: 'No coups, no plots – nobody cares'
Making it big selling legal weed is harder than it looks
Lockdown conspiracy theory leads to death threats in UK city
The dark side of a children's classic
Asia's most beautiful train route?
The diseases soaring post-lockdown
© 2022 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
