Father of boy and girl killed in flat blaze 'is too sick to be told that they are dead'

The father of a girl and teenage boy killed in a fire at their home was today too poorly to be told of their deaths.

Walid Rashid lost two of his children - seven-year-old Farah Rashid and 14-year-old Mohammed - in the blaze at Cunningham Place, St John's Wood.

He and two other sons, 15-year-old Khaled and Aziz, 13, were being treated in hospital.

Relatives told today of their devastation and said the family was days from leaving after a month in London.

Farah was found dead in her bedroom and her brother died after leaping onto concrete from a third-floor window to escape the flames. Mr Rashid's wife, Samira. was staying with relatives at the time of the fire, early yesterday.

The family, originally from Iraq, moved to London from Holland so that Mr Rashid could look for work and join relatives. His parents said he had bought tickets to return to Holland on Sunday. His father, Abdullah Rashid, said: "The whole family were going back to Holland because Walid had not been able to find work. The family were so close. We haven't been able to tell Walid that two of his children are dead. He is still too sick."

Mr Rashid said his daughter-in-law was struggling to cope. "Samira can't believe that two of her children are gone. She is spending all her time at the hospital with her husband and the children who made it out."

The two boys who escaped were heard screaming "my sister, my sister" outside. Shortly before Mohammed jumped, one witness described seeing him hanging off the balcony asking if he should let go. Police said a 32-year-old man was arrested and was in custody. They are investigating whether an electrical fault caused the fire.