Fruit vendor who set himself, three children on fire dies

A fruit vendor who attempted immolation along with three children in the North Karachi area succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, while the condition of all three children remained critical.

The tragic incident took place on Tuesday night in Sector 5-C of North Karachi, where the man attempted self-immolation with the three children, dousing himself and them in petrol and setting themselves on fire.

Local residents intervened, extinguishing the flames, and rushed them to hospital. However, Arif, the fruit-vendor, passed away on Wednesday at the burns ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi.

Residents voiced their concerns about the deteriorating conditions in the country, highlighting the extreme difficulties of life, compounded by the rising inflation. The injured children, identified as five-year-old Hooria, four-year-old Aiman, and three-year-old Ghulam Hussain, remained under treatment at the National Institute of Child Health.

According to doctors, all three children were in critical condition, with one child having suffered from 70 per cent burns and the other two from 50 per cent burns. They were currently on ventilators, with no family member present at the hospital apart from a relative who transferred them there in the morning and remained in contact via phone.

Arif's mother-in-law, speaking to the media, disclosed that Arif had remarried her daughter after the passing of his first wife, and the injured children were from his first marriage. She mentioned that Arif had been undergoing spiritual treatment due to his mental disturbance.

Hammad, Arif's stepson, informed the media that they were at work when they received news of the incident. He clarified that his father had no financial worries as they were collectively fulfilling his expenses. Hammad added that Arif had been visibly disturbed for the past few days, staying awake at night and not eating properly. The police stated that they were endeavouring to ascertain the actual motive behind the incident, and further investigation was underway.