Eight Die In Sydney Apartment Fire

A fire swept through an apartment in suburban Sydney this morning, killing eight people, police said.

Two bodies were found on the balcony, and one on a stairway next to the apartment. Police Superintendent Alan Easy said that the corpses were so badly burned that identification could require forensic examinations.

Police investigators were trying to determine whether the cause was arson.

Unconfirmed media reports said vandals had recently lit several small fires in the building, in the working class suburb of Liverpool.