FOUR DIE INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN IN WATERFORD HOUSE FIRE

Four people have died in a house fire in Waterford city, in the Republic of Ireland, Gardaí said. Two of those who died were children, while the other two were a man and a woman, Irish police said. Two further children are critically injured, Waterford Fire Service said. The fire broke out at a house on Birchwood Avenue, in an estate off the Killure Road, and was reported to the fire service at 05:13 on Tuesday. Firefighters arrived to a "well-developed fire" and removed several casualties from the two-storey property before putting out the blaze, the fire service said.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that one body was removed from the scene in a hearse after the blaze was put out. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, arriving for a Cabinet meeting in Dublin, said his thoughts and prayers were with those who died and appealed for the public to give first responders space. He said he did not yet have full details but called it a "very worrying and deeply disturbing situation". Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, who knows the family involved, said he was "utterly heartbroken" and said the estate and wider Waterford community had been devastated.

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan, called the fire an "unspeakable tragedy" that had shocked the city, and said the Catholic Church would "reach out" to those affected. He said a parish priest was expected to visit and that neighbours, also likely affected, would rally round the family. The Mayor of Waterford Metropolitan District, Lola O'Sullivan, urged people not to speculate about the cause, saying it was upsetting to see social media comments made without firm facts. No cause has yet been confirmed.