UPDATE – At least 9 killed as fire engulfs care home for disabled people in France

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL; ADDS MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Firefighters recovered nine bodies from the rubble of a care home in northeastern France after a fire swept through it on Wednesday.

The fire started at around 6.30 a.m. local time (0830GMT) in a care home for the disabled in the Haut-Rhin department, local broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Firefighters evacuated 17 people and recovered nine bodies, police sources told BFMTV.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed his sorrow in a tweet. "My thoughts are with the victims, the injured, and their families," he said and thanked the rescue teams for their efforts.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also deplored the "horrible fire" and said she was on her way to visit the scene.

The care home was a private center dedicated to taking care of the disabled, which was located in the town of Wintzenheim and used by a group from the nearby city of Nancy, according to BFMTV.

Firefighters took control of the blaze very quickly, but not before it had burned 300 square meters (3,230 square feet) of the 500-square-meter (5,382-square-foot) building, broadcaster France Bleu said earlier.