A fire has ripped through an apartment block in Paris killing at least 17 people, some of them children, and injuring more than 30. Firefighters were called to the blaze in Paris's southern 13th district, just after midnight and managed to bring it under control two hours later.

According to neighbours, the block of flats was inhabited by a number of West African immigrant families, housed there by a charity.

Police said about 130 people lived in the building, most of them children. Around 200 firefighters have been involved in the rescue operation.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known but the fire brigade said it broke out in the stairwell. The tragedy comes a few months after a hotel fire in Paris claimed 24 lives, many of them children, from immigrant families.

PHOTO CAPTION

Emergency services are seen at scene of a fire in which 17 died and 30 were injured in central Paris, early August 26, 2005. (REUTERS)