Seven members of the same family have been killed in a flat fire in Nice,according to reports,with police investigating the inferno as a possible arson attack.

Three of those killed in the fire are reported to have been children aged five,seven and 10. A teenager was also among the dead.

Rescuers were alerted at around 2.30 am to the blaze in the working-class neighbourhood of Les Moulins in the southern French city.

They were confronted by a 'violent apartment fire' on the seventh floor of the building. They carried out three aerial ladder rescues and evacuated dozens.

According to the mayor of Nice,'hooded people could have been seen nearby,in the area' before the fire,at between 1.30 and 3am,with security forces now mobilised to 'ensure the safety of residents and prevent further acts after this tragedy.'

Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said investigators were looking into a 'criminal' cause for the fire

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said the human toll of the disaster was extremely high. As well as the seven victims,another 30 people have suffered smoke inhalation.

'I've asked the interior minister to deploy security forces to ensure residents' safety and avoid new incidents after this tragedy that's being investigated as potential arson,' he said.

France's Interior Minister described it as a 'terrible tragedy'. He is expected at the site today alongside Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.