MADRID (AP) - Spanish authorities have found a British couple and their daughter dead in their rented apartment in Spain's Costa del Sol, and the bodies show gunshot wounds.

An official with Spain's Interior Ministry said police discovered the bodies of the man, his invalid wife and their handicapped daughter on Wednesday after being called by neighbours.

The official said the family had lived for a long time in the Mijas municipality of Malaga, in southern Spain, which is popular with British expatriates and tourists. He had no further details but said police in the Malaga region were investigating.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Interior Ministry rules forbid using his name.

Britain's Foreign Office is looking into the reports and getting in touch with Spanish authorities.