THE Foreign Office has confirmed that two of the three woman killed in an apartment block blaze in Paris were from the Southampton area.

Officials were unable to confirm where the third victim was from but did say it was not from the same area.

The spokesman also added that contrary to earlier reports the three women were not related.

The three woman died when the blaze ripped through the block of flats where they were staying in Les Halles district of Paris.

Formal identification had not taken place but next of kin had been informed, added the spokesman.

About 180 firefighters tackled the blaze for six hours to bring it under control.

The women were staying in a fifth storey apartment when the fire broke out on Saturday.

Two other British women are understood to have escaped.

The bodies of two of the women were found on Saturday before firefighters discovered the third as they sifted through the wreckage.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze was today underway.