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French fire brigade (symbolic picture): 170 emergency services with 65 vehicles on duty
Photo: Godong/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Ten people died in a fire in an apartment building near the French city of Lyon at night.
Five children are among the dead, the prefecture said.
There were also four seriously injured.
Ten people were slightly injured, including two firefighters.
The cause of the fire in the seven-storey block of flats in the suburb of Vaulx-en-Velin was initially unclear.
170 emergency services with 65 fire engines fought the flames.
The fire broke out around 3 p.m.
As a fire department spokesman told BFMTV, the fire broke out on the ground floor of the block of flats in the middle of a settlement and spread to the third floor.
It is a complicated operation and the number of casualties could possibly increase.
The smoke made it difficult to evacuate the residents.
The fire has since been extinguished.
aeh/dpa