Four little children of a school’s nursery and their teacher have died in Brazil after a security guard threw flammable liquid on them and set them on fire.
According to officials, the man also set himself ablaze at the childcare center in the remote town of Janauba in Minas Gerais state.
In a video footage, parents gathered and cried amidst panic as the news of the unfortunate incident broke.
Reports indicate that twenty-five people, mostly children aged four and five, are being treated for burns in local hospitals.
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There are fears that depending on the severity of some of the cases, some of the patients may still need to be airlifted to a specialised burns unit in the state capital, Belo Horizonte.
The mother of one of the victims, four-year-old Juan Miguel Soares Silva, told O Globo newspaper that, she had been considering enrolling him in another nursery prior to the attack.
Jane Kelly da Silva Soares said "We are about to move to a different neighbourhood.
"I woke up early to drop him at the nursery. When I saw him again he was already dead in hospital."
Meanwhile, the said security guard who perpetrated the barbaric act, identified by police as 50-year-old Damiao Soares dos Santos, also died in a hospital of his wounds.
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Police are investigating to ascertain the reasons for the attack. But local media has reported that he was dismissed after returning from annual leave last month with an alleged health condition.
According to O Globo newspaper, he went to the Gente Inocente childcare centre to hand in his medical certificate and then started the fire.
Brazilian President, Michel Temer in a tweet expressed condolence to the bereaved families, saying "I'm very sorry about this tragedy involving children in Janauba. I want to express my sympathy to the families."
He added that "This must be a very, very painful loss."
The mayor of Janauba has also declared seven days of mourning for the lost souls.