Seven dead in possible arson attack on flat in Nice

Seven people have died in a fire in the southern French city of Nice, reports the Evening Standard.

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.

Read more of this report from the Evening Standard.