AMMAN  —  A 45-year-old man who reportedly set his house on fire, causing the death of his three children in Amman on Wednesday, died in hospital as a result of burns he sustained in the incident, senior official sources said.

 

The suspect and his wife were in their house in the Wadi Rimam area with their children when “he reportedly poured a flammable liquid and set the house on fire with everyone inside”, a senior judicial source said.

 

The three children, aged six months, four and seven years, were “burned beyond recognition”, while the suspect and his wife were rushed to Al Bashir Hospital in Amman, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

 

“The suspect succumbed to his wounds and passed away in hospital, while his wife remains in the Intensive Care Unit and is listed in critical condition,” the senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

 

Initial investigations into the incident indicated that “a domestic dispute was the cause behind the arson,” according to the senior judicial source.

 

“Investigators learned that the couple had constant marital problems and would often quarrel,” the senior judicial source added.

 

Director of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine Raed Momani told The Jordan Times in an earlier interview that an autopsy conducted on the three victims indicated that “they were burned alive”.

 

Also on Thursday, police were searching for a suspect who reportedly shot and killed a man in Mafraq earlier in the day, the senior judicial source said.

 

The victim was shot several times, allegedly by a man “whom we believe is his relative,” according to the senior judicial source.

 

Officials said investigations are ongoing in this case.