British doctor, 4 children die in fire

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ESSEX, England, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A British doctor and four of her children died in a deliberately set fire early Monday, authorities said. Her husband and another child survived.

Sabah Usmani, 44, her sons Sohaib, 13, Muneeb, 9, and Rayyan, 6, and daughter Hira, 11, all died after their Essex house was set ablaze, investigators said.

Usmani's husband and a 3-year-old daughter survived.

Neighbors called police after they awakened to the sounds of "horrible screaming" coming from the house, a report in The Daily Telegraph said.

When firefighters arrived a short time later, the building was engulfed in flames, they said.

A vehicle was found on fire a short distance away, though investigators said they did not believe there was any connection between the car fire and Usmani's home.

Investigators appealed to the community for help in their arson investigation, the newspaper reported.