Fire at a shantytown in Montenegro kills 2 women and 2 children, state TV says

PODGORICA, Montenegro — A fire that erupted early on Thursday at a makeshift Roma settlement in Montenegro killed two women and two children, the state RTCG television reported.

The fire erupted around 4.30 a.m. in the southern Adriatic Sea town of Bar, the report said. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire and the age of the children who died in the fire was not revealed.

Police are yet to issue an official statement. But they told local media that the fire engulfed several shanties. When firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found four bodies, the reports said.

The reports said one of the women was 19 and the other was an elderly woman.

Similar Roma settlements in Montenegro and the wider in the Balkan region often include makeshift homes made of carboard and wood that easily catch fire from heating during winter months.