Three men and two women have died after a fire ravaged a 1970s apartment building in Strasbourg overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
Seven other people have been hospitalised as a result. The identification of the victims was still in progress on Thursday morning. The victims were aged between 25 and 70.
Fire fighters were called to the seven-floor building at 1am after reports of thick smoke in the stairwell.
One of the seven people in hospital is a pregnant woman, according to director of the Grand-Est prefecture Dominique Schuffenecker, who was interviewed by AFP.
Residents in the building told fire fighters the blaze was caused by an electrical issue, describing a strange sound and immediate power cut. An investigation has been launched into the details