7 teenagers killed in French riding school fire

Seven teenagers aged from 13 to 15 were killed and two adults missing in a fire sweeping through a riding school in France's southeast region of Savoie early Thursday morning, French television TF1 reported.

A young woman was also seriously injured in the fire, the report added.

The riding school, composing two buildings and a ring, is one km away from the village of Lescheraines. Blaze swallowed one building and caused the collapse of the roof of the training hall.

The fire alarm sounded at 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) and the blaze was extinguished at about 6:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), said Alain Lhuillier, director of the fire brigade in Savoie.

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who was on vocationin the area, visited the scene with French Youth and Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour.

"As soon as I heard the news at six this morning I set out to express the solidarity of the nation with the people affected by this tragedy," he said.

Source: Xinhua