Eight die in building blaze in Latvian capital

Firefighters and rescuers at the site of the blaze in Riga, Latvia (Kaspars Krafts/F64 Photo agency via AP)

Eight people, some of them foreign nationals, have died in a fire at a building housing a hostel in the centre of Riga, the Latvian capital.

Firefighters and rescuers from the Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service said they were alerted to the incident on Merkela street in the heart of Riga at about 5am.