Ten people, including five children aged three to 15, were killed in a fire in the early hours of Friday in a residential building in Vaulx-en-Velin, near the French city of Lyon, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
Another four people were seriously injured in the fire, which started on the ground floor before spreading up the seven-storey building, rescue authorities told local media.
The fire is now extinguished, but footage on social media showed a huge, dark cloud billowing above the building earlier in the day.
The blaze occurred around 3:00 am (0200 GMT).
"I was awakened by the screams," a neighbour, Mohamed, told Le Progres de Lyon newspaper. "We wanted to help people but the smoke was too heavy. I saw a dead woman ... It's dramatic."
Darmanin said the cause of the fire was not known at this stage.
"There are several scenarios and a probe will be opened," said the minister, who is heading to the site.
Eight dead in explosion near Red Fort in Delhi
Typhoon Fung-wong weakens in the Philippines, killing four
Kremlin says active preparations underway for Putin visit to India
Trump to meet Sharaa at White House, capping major turnaround for Syria
Indigenous leaders join COP30 climate summit as it opens with unclear outcome ahead
