As many as 31 elderly Canadians are unaccounted for and five are confirmed dead after a fire destroyed an old people's home in Quebec.

The blaze was first reported about 00:30 local time (05:30 GMT), 140 miles (225km) east of Quebec City.

Many of the residents used wheelchairs and walking frames, officials said.

Several fire departments from around the region were called to the town of 1,400 to help extinguish the fire. As they battled the blaze, the firefighters saw and heard people in the building whom they were unable to save.

It was "a night from hell", local chief firefighter Yvon Charron told the Canadian Press.

Emergency crews were able to save about 20 of the home's 50-60 residents, three of whom were injured.

Rescue efforts were slowed by frigid temperatures on Thursday evening, however, as authorities searched the ruined home covered in a layer of ice from the fire hoses.

Officials said they hoped at least some of those unaccounted for had been visiting family.

"We hope for the best," police Sgt Audrey-Annie Bilodeau told reporters.

'Night from hell'

Most of the residents were over 75 years old, and 37 were over 85 years old. Many were infirm and suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and only five were fully mobile and autonomous, L'Isle-Verte's acting Mayor Ginette Caron told reporters.

Witnesses described scenes of horror, watching the building burn and knowing elderly residents were trapped inside.

Mario Michaud, who lives across the street, told the local newspaper Info Dimanche he watched a man try but fail to rescue his mother, who was shouting for help from a second-storey balcony.

"She burned to death," Mr Michaud said.

'It's just reality'

Another man, Jacques Berube, told the Associated Press he feared the worst for his missing mother, Adrienne Dube, 99 years old and blind.

"I went near the building; the corner where her room was is burned," he said. "I'll just have to wait and see. I don't like it. But I don't have any choice. It's just reality."

Meanwhile, investigators have begun searching for the cause of the blaze.

A recent Quebec health department document suggested the building was only partially fitted with a sprinkler system, but there were smoke detectors in every room and in the building itself.

Quebec Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity Agnès Maltais told reporters on Thursday the government planned to consider incorporating sprinklers into new rules in the future.

"We believe [seniors] are well-protected but we always have to tighten the rules each time we see there's a failure somewhere," she said.

"We're waiting for the result of the inquiry… to understand where the failure is."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, travelling in the Middle East this week, said in a statement he offered his "sincere condolences to the family and friends of those who passed away".

"We can keep some hope for those unaccounted for, but there's very little doubt that the loss of life is considerable," Mr Harper said, as quoted by the Associated Press news agency.

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois also expressed her sympathy for victims from Davos, Switzerland, where she is attending the World Economic Forum.

"I want to offer my deepest condolences to all the families who have lost someone," Ms Marois said. "My government will do everything it can to help people there."

Source: BBC