A Vietnamese was killed among seven others when a fire broke out in a hostel for immigrants in France Sunday, local media reported.

 

Other victims include two Senegalese, one Algerian and three French workers. Eleven others were seriously injured in the fire.

 

One person died after jumping from the seventh floor of the state-subsidized hostel in the city of Dijon, western France, while others died of smoke inhalation.

 

More than 130 people were evacuated from the building.

 

The firefighters said the fire started early Sunday in a dumpster next to the building.

 

Commander Jean-Louis Marc told AFP that by the time firefighters arrived, 10 minutes after being called, the fire was already well established and the occupants of the building were trapped inside.

 

Eric Besson, French Minister of Immigration and Integration, said most of the victims were killed by toxic fumes.

 

“The disaster shocks me because it affects individuals and families that France has received, and who brought not only their work to our country but also the richness of their cultures and their origins,” Besson said.

 

Three of the 93 firefighters who battled the blaze also suffered from smoke inhalation.

 

French authorities are investigating the case further.