Three children aged under 10 died, and their mother remains in a critical condition, after a fire at their home in Caqueta, southern Colombia, reports radio station Caracol.
The father of the victims, Jose Yesid Alvarez, confirmed that the children were killed in the fire, which authorities believe to have originated in the kitchen where the family used a wood-burning stove.
The mother, Leidy Rivera, remains hospitalized with severe burns, which she sustained while trying to rescue her children from the fire. Doctors have given Rivera a poor prognosis and she is currently in the operating room on mechanical ventilation, the scientific director of Mary Immaculate Hospital, Cesar Augusto Torres, told the radio station.
Neighbors tried to save the siblings but were unable to help, and the location of the house in a rural area of El Aguila prevented the speedy arrival of the fire department.
The funeral for infant Duber Rivera Alvarez, Jose Felix Rivera Alvarez (3), and Alexis Rivera Alvarez (8), was held this weekend.
