At least three burned alive in their sleep after horror blaze erupts at holiday home for disabled people in France
The victims are said to have burnt to death within "minutes" in the cottage in south west of France.
6
6
6
6
Firefighters in Montmoreau, near Angouleume, confirmed the building was reduced to smouldering rubble in the early hours of Monday morning as holidaymakers slept.
Local government official Jean-Charles Jobart said how three people are "confirmed dead" - with the figure "likely to rise" in the tragedy.
He added: "The fire brigade's canine unit is trying to locate any other victims, and there are at least two other people confirmed missing."
Mr Jobart said the alarm was first raised at 4:30am after a suspected electrical fault was thought to have caused the blaze.
It soon spread quickly, and the deceased are believed to have burnt to death within 20 minutes, he added.
Other suffered severe injuries, including one who remained in hospital intensive care on Monday afternoon.
According to local cops, there were a total of 12 people with disabilities inside the holiday home.
None have yet been identified by name, but Mr Jobart said a 60-year-old woman was among those who tragically died.
It's feared that most of the victims were asleep when the deadly blaze broke out, and were unable to find an escape route after being asphyxiated by thick smoke.
Jean-Michel Bolvin, the Mayor of Montmoreau, said the converted farmhouse had been "approved to accommodate disabled people during the holiday period".
Moment 150 terrified passengers flee plane engulfed in smoke after landing gear issue sparked fire and injured one
Mathieu Auriol, the Angouleme deputy prosecutor, said a criminal enquiry had been launched into "involuntary manslaughter and the involuntary causing of injury".
He said there had been 14 adults aged 20 to 75 inside the destroyed building.
All of the victim's had been on a week's holiday, Auriol added.
Forensics experts are involved in the probe, with autopsies to be held to establish the exact cause of the deaths.
Montmoreau - a commune in the department of Charente - has a population of just 2,500 people.
The blaze comes just under two years since 10 disabled adults and a carer were killed by a fire at a holiday cottage in Wintzenheim, near Strasbourg, eastern France.
All those who died were still asleep on the top floor of the two-storey building during the blaze, which spread rapidly.
6
6
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Why ‘substandard' e-bike batteries pose life-threatening risks
A man died in a fire at his Bradford home, believed to be caused by a faulty lithium-ion battery from an e-bike conversion kit charging overnight. The coroner investigating the death of Mohsin Janjua, 28, concluded the fire was likely due to a "catastrophic failure" of a battery purchased from eBay. Test purchases revealed that batteries and chargers from online marketplaces often fail to meet UK safety standards, prompting the coroner to urge the government to reassess laws. The coroner also called for online marketplaces to be held jointly responsible for the safety and legal compliance of products sold by third parties on their sites. A charity, Electrical Safety First, has warned that substandard batteries sold online pose a significant risk, advocating for third-party certification for e-bikes and stricter rules on conversion kits.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Tragic tech tycoon Mike Lynch's business partner left huge sum in will before dying in car accident
THE business partner of tragic tech tycoon Mike Lynch left more than £350,000 in his will. Stephen Chamberlain was killed in a freak car accident just days before Mr Lynch died when his £38million superyacht the Bayesian sank in a storm off Sicily last August. 3 3 Both men had been acquitted of fraud in June 2024 over the £8.6billion sale of Mr Lynch's software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. Mr Chamberlain died aged 52 from head injuries three days after being hit by a car while out running near his home in Longstanton, Cambs. An inquest found that the driver could not have avoided the father of two. Figures from the Probate Registry show Mr Chamberlain left £358,933 — reduced to £346,508 after debts were paid — to widow Karen and children Ella and Teddy. Lynch, 59, died alongside his daughter and five other people when his yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily. He had been celebrating his acquittal from US fraud charges when his yacht was knocked sideways by a sudden 80mph gust and started taking in water. As the boat sank rapidly, Lynch's wife Angela Bacares was pulled to safety by a crew member. But their 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others on board never made it out. The vessel sunk in just 16 minutes after being hit by a violent downburst. Chamberlain was a former vice-president of software company Autonomy. Moment tragic Bayesian yacht wreck is raised from depths after billionaire Mike Lynch and others died on board 3
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Coroner issues warning over unregulated e-bike batteries after man's death in house fire
A coroner has warned that batteries sold on online market places for e-bike conversions pose a significant and growing risk after a man died in a fire thought to be linked to one left charging. Mohsin Janjua, 28, died after his converted e-bike caught alight while charging overnight at his Bradford home. Martin Fleming, senior coroner for West Yorkshire Western, is asking the government to reassess the law on sales of lithium-ion batteries used to convert bikes into e-bikes. Following an inquest into Mr Janjua's death, the coroner said it was "more likely than not that the fire was caused by a catastrophic failure" of the battery he had bought from a site on eBay. Mr Janjua converted his bike using an electric motor in 2022, and replaced the motor with a 52-volt battery a week before the fatal fire in December 2023. After his death, investigators made test purchases and found that the test-purchase battery and charger, thought to have emanated from China, did not conform to UK safety standards and regulations. Although the battery found after the fire showed similarities with the test purchase, the extent of its damage prevented further identification. The coroner said in a report to the government Office for Product Safety and Standards: 'At the moment it is my understanding that online market places disclaim responsibility for the safety of third-party goods, so I ask that you give consideration to the appropriateness of regulations to make online marketplaces jointly responsible for ensuring the safety and legal compliances of products sold on their sites.' It is the fifth such report on prevention of deaths surrounding lithium-ion batteries in electrically powered bikes and converted or modified devices. Luke Osborne, technical director of charity Electrical Safety First said: 'Substandard batteries sold freely via online marketplaces pose a life-threatening risk to the public. 'The fires that may result when these devices fail can be catastrophic, releasing toxic gases and reaching temperatures of over 600C.' The government is planning a consultation on online marketplaces and dangerous goods sold on them. The charity is calling for the introduction of third-party certification for e-bikes and their batteries, to reduce the risk of substandard devices being sold, and is also calling for stricter rules on conversion kits for e-bikes.
