Two Irish students have died in a house fire in Brittany in France.
The bodies of the students - who have been named as Patricia McDonald (21) from Cootehill in Co Cavan and Carol Nolan (20) from Swords, Co Dublin - were discovered at a house they were renting in the town of Lorient.
It is believed the landlord found the two bodies after midday yesterday when he saw smoke coming from the house and entered. But the fire is believed to have started late on Thursday night or in the early hours of Friday morning.
An aunt of Patricia McDonald's said both of the young people were third-year European Studies students at the Institute of Technology in Tallaght and were studying in the Lorient under the Erasmus university exchange programme.
She said the families were devastated by the news.
She told The Irish Times: "It's absolutely dreadful. They'd just gone back last Tuesday because their exams were to start next Monday."
They said some family members had been planning a visit to Lorient in France in February but now the family would be travelling to France either today or on Monday to make arrangements to return the bodies to Ireland.
The director of IT Tallaght, Dr Tim Creedon, expressed his sympathy with the families of the two students today.
He described them as hard working and successful who were very popular with their teachers and fellow students.
Dr Creedon said the college's International Officer was travelling to France to offer assistance.
The house was preserved for technical examination by police. Officers believe the fire was accidental but the cause of the blaze has not been established.
PA
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was providing consular assistance to two Irish families following two deaths in Brittany yesterday.