A 28-year-old woman committed suicide while her four children aged 8 years and below were rescued on Saturday night in Migori County, Kenya.

According to the area chief Jeremia Oloo, the deceased identified as Dorothy Achieng who had the intention of killing her four children locked herself and the children in the house, set the house on fire before she committed suicide using a rope.

Mr. Oloo said family members who were awoken by the cries of the desperate children who were calling for help saw the smoke coming from the house and they immediately rushed to the scene and rescued the four children.

He said the woman had already committed suicide when the family members arrived at the scene to rescue the children.

The area chief said the deceased’s husband who is married to two women spent the night in the deceased co-wife’s house.

Mr.Oloo said they are yet to establish why the woman committed suicide, however they are linking it to family wrangles.

Narrating the ordeal, the brother-in-law to the deceased, George Ochieng, said they were asleep when they heard the children crying for help and they immediately rushed to rescue them.

Mr. Ochieng said the deceased locked the house from inside and even blocked the door using chairs to stop the children from escaping the house fire and they had to access the house through the window.

The body of the deceased was moved to Sori Lakeside hospital mortuary pending police investigation.