Deliberate fire in La Victoria kills ten, including five children
An intentional fire in Lima killed ten members of a family, including five children. Police are investigating whether it was an attack by extortioners.
Ten family members dead after deliberate fire in La Victoria, Lima
Ten members of the same family died in the early hours of Monday in the Lima district of La Victoria after two unknown individuals threw petrol and set fire to motorbikes and cargo vehicles parked outside the house, according to vilasradio.cl.
The attack occurred near 3:00 in the morning. The flames blocked within seconds the only exit door of the property and trapped the occupants in the midst of toxic smoke produced by upholstery supplies stored inside. The general commander of the National Police of Peru, Óscar Arriola, confirmed that among the fatal victims are five children aged between 7 and 8 years.
Seven members of the family managed to escape via the rear roofs with the help of neighbours, who acted before emergency services arrived.
According to testimony from residents of the neighbourhood, the Vílchez family had been receiving threats and demands for protection money payments for a month from criminal gangs active in the commercial area. The victims reportedly expressed to people close to them fear of being unable to afford the amounts demanded by the criminals.
Forensic experts and representatives from the Public Ministry cordoned off the scene and reviewed security camera images from the sector. The records would show the exact moment when two individuals on a motorbike started the fire.
However, the Interior Minister, José Mercedes Zapata Morante, preliminarily ruled out the extortion hypothesis and indicated that the investigation points to a residential dispute, in contradiction with the neighbours' testimonies.
The Criminal Investigation Division of La Victoria-San Luis is leading the proceedings to determine the causes of the incident.
Source: Google News PE — Lima