Nice fire: Seven dead in possible arson attack at apartment block in southern France

Seven people have died in a fire in the southern French city of Nice .

Firefighters rushed to the blaze in a residential block in the Les Moulins neighbourhood after being alerted at roughly 2.30am on Thursday (1.30am BST).

Rescuers said they were confronted by a "violent apartment fire" on the seventh floor. Dozens of people were evacuated from the building.

Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said investigators were looking into a “criminal” cause for the fire.

“In light of the initial evidence, I have opened an investigation into acts of arson leading to death,” he told journalists at the scene.

Three children and a teenager were among the victims, he added.

Local reports said the seven victims were all part of the same family and the children who died were aged five, seven and 10. Two people are said to have tried to escape through a window - one died and the other is in a critical condition.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said the human toll of the disaster was extremely high. As well as the seven victims, another 30 people have suffered smoke inhalation.

"I've asked the interior minister to deploy security forces to ensure residents' safety and avoid new incidents after this tragedy that's being investigated as potential arson," he said.

In total, 25 fire engines and 72 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire.