Seven children die in Germany fire

An early-morning fire at an apartment building in southwestern Germany left at least eight people dead, seven of them children, police said.

Authorities were alerted to the blaze in Backnang, a town near Stuttgart, at 4.30 am on Sunday.

Police said in a statement that they believe the fire broke out in a second-floor apartment and their investigation is focusing on a heater in the apartment.

The building is a former leather factory that now contains several apartments. Police spokesman Klaus Hinderer told news agency dpa that 13 people are registered as living there, though it is not clear how many were there when the fire broke out.

Agencies