Man in flames plunges to his death from 4th-floor flat

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The man, believed to be 20, got trapped in his bedroom as fire swept through the flat in Ellen Wilkinson House, Bethnal Green.

He then plunged from the window while still on fire, possibly in a desperate bid to escape the blaze. Neighbours said his parents and sister were held back as they tried to get inside the flat yesterday evening.

Witnesses said he was still on fire when he hit the ground and that passers-by threw soil on him to try to put out the flames. He was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital but died. Police and fire investigators do not yet know what caused the explosion.

Mohammed Robbie, 23, lives next door to the man. He described the man's injuries as "utterly horrific", adding: "I heard a huge explosion. The boy's parents and sister were standing outside the flat screaming that their son was still inside.

"I tried to kick down the door and wanted to get in there but the flames were everywhere. There was just so much fire.

"When we realised he had jumped out of the window I ran to see what had happened. When he landed, he was still on fire. People in the street were throwing soil on him to put the flames out. There was blood everywhere and his burns looked really bad. Both his legs were badly broken."

One of the victim's friends, who did not want to be named, said the man was just about to start an accountancy course at London's South Bank University.

Police said there were no other injuries reported after the blaze and that the rest of the block's residents were safely evacuated.