Police in Ho Chi Minh City suspect that a local woman had committed suicide by setting her apartment on fire, resulting in her death and her daughter's on Wednesday.

Officers in Tan Phu District are investigating the incident to determine the cause of the blaze that broke out at a flat on the 10th floor of Carillon 5 Apartment Complex on Luy Ban Bich Street in Hoa Thanh Ward early on Wednesday morning.

The incident killed N.T.N.N., 42, and her daughter, 18-year-old N.T.N.M., with eyewitnesses saying that the heat from the fire forced them to climb out of the window. They eventually fell to the ground.

After examining the scene and collecting witnesses’ statements, investigators believe that the mother may have committed suicide by setting the apartment on fire, according to a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Officers also reported a strong smell of gasoline at the scene, the source added.

An official from the People’s Committee in Hoa Thanh Ward stated that N. was in the last stage of cancer and had signs of depression.

She had previously attempted suicide but had been saved by local residents.

N. and her daughter had been renting the apartment for quite a while, the official added.

Officers under the firefighting and prevention police unit in Tan Phu District arrived at the location after being notified and managed to put out the flames after just a few minutes, but the victims had already died after falling from their flat, according to previous reports.

The blaze burned down about 20 square meters of the apartment as well as multiple assets, while some nearby apartments were also affected.

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