A witness uses a fire extinguisher to save the victim. — VNA/VNS Photo

TRÀ VINH — A man who set his mother on fire was arrested on charge of murder, police in Việt Nam's southern province of Trà Vinh said Tuesday.

The incident occurred at around 5.30 pm on February 24, when Dương Quốc Trung, 21, allegedly poured petrol over his mother, Nguyễn Ngọc Phương Lan, 45, and ignited it.

Witnesses nearby quickly intervened, using fire extinguishers to put out the flames, however, Trung reportedly chased them away and prevented them from coming in near to help the victim.

The neighbours eventually managed to subdue Trung and rushed the victim to a local hospital for emergency treatment. Due to the severity of her burns, Lan was later transferred to Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City for further care.

Assailant Dương Quốc Trung is in custody. — VNA/VNS Photo

Police arrived at the scene shortly after being alerted and took Trung into custody. A preliminary drug test returned negative results.

Initial investigations revealed that Trung had been working outside the province, but returned to live with his mother, a lottery ticket seller, in January.

Recently, he had shown signs of severe depression and frequently clashed with his mother, witnesses said.

The case is under investigation. — VNS

The bottle Trung used to hold petrol and the lighter to ignite it at the scene. — VNA/VNS Photo