A man in Karachi died after attempting suicide through self-immolation along with his three young children on Wednesday. All four are now fighting for their lives in the hospital.

The shocking event took place in Afroza Auckland ground in Sector 54C in North Karachi, where a 40-year-old man named Arif set his children and himself on fire.

His children, including Hooria (5), Imaan Fatima (4) and Ghulam Hussain (3), suffered sever burns as a result.

All four were carried to the burns ward in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in an Edhi Ambulance, where Arif was declared dead. The children are still fighting for their lives.

Police said that all three children are in critical condition.

Initial reports have revealed that Arif is a fruit vendor. However, the reason behind the attempted self-immolation has not been revealed.

Arif’s stepson told the police that the family had eaten food with them right before the incident.

He added that the mother of the three children had passed away eight months ago.

What to do if some exhibits intent of self harm

Here’s what you should do if someone you know exhibits signs of suicide or a tendency to isolate or self harm:

• Try to make sure they are not left alone

• Remove any any objects they could use to harm themselves.

• Take or encourage the person to seek help from a medical or mental health professional

You can get in touch with the following mental health helplines and speak to them.

• Mind Organisation 042 35761999
• Umang 0317 4288665
• Talk2me.pk 0333 4065139
• Baat Karo 0335 5743344
• Taskeen 0316 8275336
• Rooh 0333 3337664
• Rozan 0800-22444
• OpenCounseling 042 35761999