A 34-year-old man killed himself by jumping into a burning pyre. (Representational)

A 34-year-old man killed himself by jumping into a burning pyre at a crematorium in Nagpur, the police said.

Mahesh Kotangde jumped onto a pyre at the Jaitala crematorium in Nagpur Saturday evening, they added.

The dead man's relatives and friends had left when Mahesh Kotangde jumped into the fire. Children playing nearby saw him and raised alarm, a police officer said.

The reason for the suicide is not immediately clear but police said he was suffering from a mental illness and was a heavy drinker.