Man hammers wife, daughter to death, sets fire to self

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 4 - A 57-year-old man killed his wife and 16-year-old daughter with hammer blows as they slept overnight and critically injured his 23-year-old son in the same way at the family's home in Samarate, in the northern province of Varese, before trying to commit suicide by setting himself alight, sources said Wednesday.
    The man attacked his children in their bedrooms and the woman while she slept on the living room sofa, the sources said.
    The son has been taken to hospital in Varese with serious head injuries.
    The attacker was taken to hospital in Busto Arsizio.
    Police and paramedics arrived after neighbours heard screams and raised the alarm, the sources said. (ANSA).