News and Society

A 7-year-old girl was also wounded in the shootingA younger girl was found in the car alive and unharmed"Probably terrorized ... completely immobile amid the corpses," officials says

(CNN) -- Investigators were working Thursday to determine what led to a shooting in eastern France that left four people dead in and around a British-registered car.

Are you there? Share your story

A 7-year-old girl was also wounded from the shooting and investigators also found a young girl alive and unharmed in the car, local prosecutor Eric Maillaud told reporters.

The young girl, who appeared to be 4, was found in a BMW among the bodies of two women and a man, CNN affiliate BFM-TV reported.

var currExpandable="expand15";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.source='world/2012/09/06/france-shootings-mystery.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120906101235-france-chevaline-locator-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand15Store=mObj;A male cyclist was found shot to death near the vehicle and a large number of bullet casings were scattered around.

The bodies were discovered Wednesday in a remote, wooded area near Chevaline, in the Haute-Savoie area of eastern France. The young girl, who was found alive, had sat in the BMW for hours unnoticed as investigators waited for crime scene technicians to arrive so that the car could be opened, Maillaud said.

Investigators did not notice the young girl because she did not move in the time that authorities waited to open the car, Maillaud said.

"Probably terrorized, completely concealed, completely immobile amid the corpses," Maillaud told reporters. "This little girl is doing well. She was examined and has been hospitalized. Her life is not in danger but she has experienced something awful."

And as French investigators try to determine what caused the shooting, the British Foreign Office said it is aware of the incident and is looking into it.

On Thursday, authorities released the nationalities of the victims. The three that were found dead in the the car were British, BFM-TV reported. The cyclist was French. And the two young girls who survived are British, the affiliate said

September 3, 2012 -- Updated 1501 GMT (2301 HKT) David Frum: The drought in the U.S., Russia and Australia is driving up food prices -- and that's long been tied to unrest among the world's poor.August 31, 2012 -- Updated 1847 GMT (0247 HKT) One journalist reveals how violence and conflict have devastated Syria, from the suburbs of the capital to central Damascus.September 4, 2012 -- Updated 1304 GMT (2104 HKT) Pharmaceutical firm Gruenenthal apologizes for the impact of its drug had on babies -- but campaigners say more is needed.September 4, 2012 -- Updated 1426 GMT (2226 HKT) The number of women competing in the Paralympics has doubled in the last two decades -- and competition has become more intense.August 31, 2012 -- Updated 0412 GMT (1212 HKT) China looks to usher in its next generation of leaders -- but one of the messiest political scandals in years continues to fester. Eileen Barker explains how the Rev. Sun Syung Moon was the last charismatic leader of a wave of movements that spread through the West.September 5, 2012 -- Updated 1004 GMT (1804 HKT) Many in the Philippines lack health education and birth control access, something a new law is trying to address, despite church opposition.September 3, 2012 -- Updated 0916 GMT (1716 HKT) Madagascar is home to a vast array of animal and plant life -- but it has lost 90% of its forest to deforestation, putting an ecological system at risk. September 4, 2012 -- Updated 0722 GMT (1522 HKT) Taking the aggressive element out of one of Australia's most iconic but endangered animals could save it from extinction. September 3, 2012 -- Updated 1008 GMT (1808 HKT) Thousands of visitors will descend on Monaco for the annual yacht show this month -- but the principality has more to offer than big boats.Today's five most popular stories

View the original article here