Mother and teenage son with Down's syndrome found torched to death inside car next to yacht club: Police treating horrific deaths as unexplained Zimbabwean woman and her son died following blaze in Southend-on-Sea Witnesses said car was moving when it suddenly burst into flames A mother and her disabled son have died after they were found in a burning car near a yacht club yesterday evening. The deaths of the woman and the teenage boy, who apparently suffered from Down's syndrome, are being treated by police as unexplained. Witnesses to the incident in Southend-on-Sea, Essex described seeing the car roll forwards as if it were being driven before suddenly bursting into flames. Blaze: A mother and child have died after they were found in a burning car in Southend-on-Sea, Essex Horror: Witnesses saw the car suddenly explode near a yacht club in an upmarket area of town Firefighters were called to the scene in the upmarket Thorpe Bay neighbourhood, and took 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. When police arrived around 5.30pm, they found the bodies of the mother and her son inside the vehicle. The street where the pair were found, which houses and yacht and tennis club, has been cordoned off while investigations into the incident continue. The woman and boy - who have not been formally identified - originally came from Zimbabwe, and were living in Shoeburyness at the time of their death. According to members of the local Zimbabwean community, the woman's father helped found the Movement for Democratic Change, the main political party opposed to president Robert Mugabe. Investigation: Police are currently treating the deaths as unexplained as they examine the site of the incident Audrey Charowa, 34, an MDC activist from Basildon, said: 'It is a total shock and we are all waiting for the police investigation to find out the circumstances surrounding the fire. She had a son with special needs. He was about 14 or 15 and had Down's syndrome. Obviously the whole Zimbabwean community is in deep shock. It was totally unexpected. Writing on a Zimbabwean news website, Mrs Charowa described the woman as a 'heroine' and said that the community was in mourning after her death. One eyewitness, Mandie Cotton, was approaching the car when it exploded as she was out on a run. Her boyfriend Paul Smith said: 'The car was rolling at the time, in a normal driving position, before it exploded and she didn't know whether someone had got out of the car when a fire had started. She was only 25 or 50 yards away from the car when it exploded so she was pretty shaken. She said it was really frightening. Appeal: Police have asked witnesses to contact them to help them find out what happened An Essex Police spokesman said: 'Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two people in a car fire in Thorpe Bay. Officers arrived and found the bodies of what is believed to be two people inside a car. At this stage the deaths are being treated as unexplained and an investigation has begun to establish the events leading up to the car fire and confirm the identities of the people inside. Anyone with information in connection with this car fire is asked to contact detectives at Southend Police station on 101. An Essex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed they attended the car fire and used two hose reel jets to extinguish the flames.