Source: The Sangai Express
Itanagar, February 11, 2010:
At least 14 students were burnt to death and seven others injured today in a fire at a private hostel in Arunachal Pradesh's Kurung Ku mey district, bordering China, official sources said.
The students of Holy Angel Don Bosco School, both boys and girls, were killed after a fire swept through a hostel made of bamboo at Palin area in the district, Officer on Special Duty to the chief minister Nob Tshering told PTI.
Prima facie, it appears that a short circuit could have led to the blaze, he said.
"The fire broke out at 2:30 am.
There were about 56-60 students in the hostel when the mishap took place," DIG (Crime) Tashi Lama said.
Tshering said two platoons of reinforcements were rushed from the district headquarters of Koloriang to Palin where a platoon of CRPF were already present as tension prevailed in the area as locals clashed with school authorities following the incident.
Three MLAs of the district flew to the area in a helicopter at the instruction of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who would visit the site tomorrow, Tshering said.
Four students were seriously injured, he said, adding the injured were admitted to hospitals here.
Two students, an eight-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl were admitted to government-run Naharlagun General Hospital with 23 and 10 per cent burns respectively, hospital superintendent D Raina said.
Another boy with 50 per cent burns and an eight-year-old girl with 25 per cent burns were admitted to Ramakrishna Hospital and a private hospital respectively in Itanagar, officials said.
Meanwhile, Local MLA Takam Tagar, who is currently in Delhi, claimed that he had been informed by locals that 13 students were dead and four others injured, two of them seriously.
The serious students were rushed to a hospital in Itanagar.
Three other MLAs of the district rushed to the area at the instruction of CM Dorjee Khandu.
- PTI.