A mother allegedly burned her three young daughters to death and rang their father to say: 'Listen to their screams'.

Madysson, six, Abbygail, four, and Oumy, two, died in the blaze at their home in the small town of Lennik, Belgium.

Their mother Thioro Mbow, 35, allegedly killed her children in an arson attack after locking them in a shed on Wednesday and burning them alive - while forcing her husband to listen as they died.

Madysson, six, Abbygail, four, and Oumy, two, pictured with their father, died in the fire at their home in the small town of Lennik, Belgium. Another daughter - Dyarra, nine, survived

It has been reported that Mbow phoned Hellmut Ulin, who works in construction, on his mobile phone and said: 'Listen to their screams.'

She added: 'I can hear their screams but I will do nothing to save them.

Thioro Mbow, 35, pictured, allegedly burned her three daughters to death

'You'd better hurry but you will be too late to rescue them. They won't survive.'

Mr Ulin immediately called his sister, who lives nearby, in a panic and asked her to hurry to the family home.

When she arrived at the scene, she found their charred bodies of Mr Ulin's daughters in the garden.

Mbow is said to have calmly told her: 'Ten minutes of screaming and then it was all over.'

Mbow has been arrested on suspicion of murder, German media has reported.

The couple had reportedly been involved in a custody battle over the children.

It is believed that she started the blaze in a fit of rage after receiving a letter from her husband's lawyer demanded custody of the children.

Mbow's eldest daughter Dyarra, a child from a previous relationship, survived.

The nine-year-old had been at school at the time.

The heartbroken father told Senenews: 'Just before I left for work, I hugged the youngest who was already awake.