Three children have been burnt to death in their home in Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands and police are still searching for their mother.
The area's provincial police commander superintendent, John Kale, has appealed to the public for any information that might help police find the woman.
He says preliminary investigations have found the mother lit a candle on Tuesday night before leaving the house, while the children were fast asleep.
The National reports the children were aged six, four, and two.
Neighbours in the settlement say the children had been living with their mother after the father left them.
Another family house nearby caught fire but the occupants managed to escape.
