Ten children have reportedly been killed in Estonia after a fire broke out at an orphanage.

The Haapsalu centre for youngsters with mental disabilities is located in the western part of the Baltic country.

Some 37 children and nine adults were in the orphanage when the fire started, according to local media. Several children and two adults were also hospitalised.

All 43 children in the home are severely disabled and 24 of them are in wheelchairs.

It is thought that the victims were children who could not be moved, as their section of the building was completely destroyed.

The cause of the blaze is still unknown.