Chinese vlogger dies after ex-husband sets her on fire during live-stream

A Chinese influencer was allegedly set on fire by her ex-husband as she was live-streaming in her home in Aba, China. Lamu, a popular figure on China's version of TikTok called Douyin - suffered burns on 90% of her body and died on September 30.

According to Chinese local media, the 30-year-old vlogger gained much favour from her 782,000 social media followers due to her happy posts on rural life and for not using any make-up on her videos.

In her last video live-stream on September 14, Lamu was performing a Tibetan song when her fans saw her screen go black before hearing screams in the background. Her ex-husband, identified only by his surname, Tang, allegedly broke into her house with a cleaver and a can of petrol. He attacked her and doused her with petrol and set her on fire in front of family members. Lamu was then taken to a local hospital for treatment at the Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital.

Two days later, the vlogger's sister posted about the attack and made a desperate plea for financial help. Lamu fought for her life for almost two weeks but later succumbed to her injuries and died on September 30. The family was able to raise £ 114 million from donations, the BBC reports.

Local media reports state that Tang had a history of domestic violence while married to Lamu. They have two children. Lamu and Tang divorced in May of this year and each gained custody of one child. Shortly after the divorce, Tang made threats to kill one of their children if Lamu did not re-marry him. They eventually got back together but Lamu ended up running away. Tang went about looking for her and even beat up Lamu's sister when she refused to reveal her whereabouts.

Lamu's family and relatives reported this incident to local police. However, they said authorities took no action. Lamu filed for divorce again but Tang gained custody of both children.

Tang was arrested and detained on September 14 upon suspicion of "intentional homicide." Although his motive remains unclear. Police suspect his attack was driven by revenge on the divorce.

China introduced earlier this year a new ruling which calls for a 30-day "cool-off" period before couples are granted a divorce. The law is set to take effect in 2021, but will not be applicable to families with a history of domestic violence.