Mississippi (AP):

Nine people, including at least six children, died yesterday in an apartment fire, officials said. The blaze was reported around dawn, according to County Coroner Michael Hunt. He and state fire marshal Mike Chaney confirmed the deaths. Hunt said the children ranged in age from four months to six years. Firefighters were still at the scene more than six hours later, and there was no word on how the blaze started.

"All I can tell you is we had a fire in one of the older apartment buildings," Starkville Fire Chief Rodger Mann said. He did not identify any of the victims.

Starkville, which has about 24,000 residents, is about 115 miles (185 kilometres) from Jackson, Mississippi.