Three bodies found in the remains of a fire-gutted home early Sunday in the town of Mukaishima, Hiroshima Prefecture, are believed to those of a woman and her two infants, police said.
A neighbor called firefighters at around 11:40 p.m. when the blaze broke out at the two-story building, but the fire had consumed around 230 sq. meters before it could be extinguished.
The identities of the three have not been confirmed, but police believe they are Rika Ogawa, the 26-year-old daughter-in-law of Yoichi Ogawa, and her sons Sena, 3, and Rei, just six months old.
Ogawa, who escaped, told police he was sleeping on the first floor but that Rika and her children were sleeping on the second floor.
Three other family members, including his 28-year-old son, Rika's husband, were not at home at the time of the fire, police said.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire.
Apartment fire kills one
CHIBA (Kyodo) A charred body was found in the remains of a burned down apartment in the city of Kamogawa early Sunday, police said.
Although not identified yet, police believe the body is that of Junko Matsumoto, 37.
The fire broke out around 3:45 a.m. Sunday, destroying the 45-sq.-meter apartment and inflicting severe burns on the upper body of her husband, dentist Yasunori Matsumoto, 42.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire.