Fourteen children have been arrested in North East England following the death of a 14-year-old boy in a fire in an industrial unit, according to media reports.
The three girls and 11 boys were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, the BBC reported on Saturday, citing Northumbria Police.
The fire broke out Friday in the Fairfield industrial area in Gateshead. The blaze was later extinguished but a body was found inside the building.
"Sadly, following searches carried out by Northumbria police and partners at Tyne and Wear fire and rescue service, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building," said a police spokesperson. Layton had been reported missing.
Police arrested the teens who are between 11 and 14 years of age. They remain in police custody.
Officials said an inquiry into the blaze was at an early stage and asked the public not to speculate about the "extremely tragic incident."
A cordon was in place while officers carried out inquiries to establish "the full circumstances surrounding the incident," police added.
After an initial assessment, police said they were not treating the incident at the power substation as suspicious, although enquiries are ongoing.
