As many as 30 elderly people are missing after a fire tore through their residential home in Canada's Quebec province.
At least three people are already confirmed to have died and another three are injured.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the loss of life is expected to be considerable.
Officials say many of the residents needed wheelchairs or walking frames to get around and some had Alzheimer's disease, the BBC reports.
The fire broke out after midnight on Thursday and was fanned by strong winds. Firefighters saw and heard people they were unable to save as they fought the blaze.
Fifty-two people - 37 of them more than 80 years old - lived at the home in L'Isle-Verte, 225km east of Quebec City. Water from fire hoses that turned to ice is hampering the search of the ruins.
The remains of the resthome in L'Isle-Verte. Water from hoses turned to ice. Photo: AFP
