KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade says it has received unconfirmed reports that Jamaicans, including children, are among the casualties and injured in a fire which occurred yesterday at an apartment building in the Bronx, New York.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who this morning expressed sadness at the tragic loss of life, said her ministry is working with the Consulate General and New York authorities to obtain further information on the situation.

She also said the ministry has been assured by the authorities that details such as the nationalities of the victims will be communicated through the usual channels as soon as they have been confirmed.

The ministry said it will further update the public at that time.

Four children are among 12 people killed in the devastating fire.

The fire broke out around 6:51 pm (2351 GMT) Thursday in a 25-apartment building near the Bronx Zoo, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the US financial capital.

Fueled by strong gusts of frigid wind, the flames quickly raced through the building.

More than 160 firefighters rushed to the scene and took some three hours to control the blaze, local media reported. In the bitter cold, water leaking from the hoses froze on the pavement.

Three girls — aged one, two and seven — and an unidentified boy were among the dead, police said Friday. A 19-year-old woman was also killed.

Tearful residents said they heard cries of “fire, fire” in the building followed by a mad rush to exit the smoke-filled building. Many fled into the frigid night with just the clothes on their backs.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. The plaster and brick structure, built in 1916, was not fireproof and had six open violations including for a defective smoke detector, New York Times reported.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called it an “unspeakable tragedy,” in the middle of the holiday season, as the city of 8.5 million straddles Christmas and New Year festivities.

“Tonight here in the Bronx there are families that have been torn apart. This is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century,” de Blasio told reporters after fire fighters extinguished the flames.

De Blasio said 12 people died in the fire, and four people were critically injured.

The blaze began on the first floor and spread rapidly throughout the five-floor walk-up on Prospect Avenue, with fire fighters on the scene within three minutes, department chief Daniel Nigro told reporters.