CHENNAI: A 66-year-old man set his wife and son ablaze after which he set himself on fire over a family dispute in Tirunelveli on Sunday. The mother and son duo succumbed to the burns while the accused is battling for life.

The accused Zachariah had a dispute with his wife Mercy and children Henry, Harley, and Helen. Following this, his wife and kids recently moved to a rented house in the same neighborhood.

On Sunday afternoon, when Harley and his mother Mercy came to Zachariah's house to take some of their belongings, the latter got into an argument with them, said a Daily Thanthi report.

In the heat of the moment, Zachariah pushed his wife and son into a room and locked them after which he poured petrol into the room and set them on fire. As the duo were engulfed in flames and screamed for help, Zachariah doused himself with petrol and set himself ablaze.

On hearing the screams, neighbours rushed to their rescue and alerted the fire and rescue service personnel. However, when the rescue personnel were rushing the three burn victims to the Palayamkottai government hospital, Mercy and Harley succumbed to the burns. Zachariah is currently battling for life at the hospital.

Investigations are on.