Koksara (Kalahandi): Three minor girls, aged between four and five, including twin sisters, were charred to death when a heap of straw they were playing on caught fire near here in Kalahandi district Saturday.
The incident took place at Bajimara village of Mahima panchayat under Koksara block of Kalahandi district, the police said, adding efforts are on to ascertain the circumstances in which the heap of straw caught fire.
The children were immediately rushed to the Koksara primary health centre and from there they were shifted to the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna where they succumbed to their injuries. The children are said to have suffered 90 per cent burn injuries. The deceased have been identified as Roji Disasri and Deji Dishari (twins) and Rachana Raut.
According to family sources, Roji and Dezy, daughters of Hemraj Dishari of Bajimara village and Rachana of Kuchinda, had come to their uncle’s house. They were playing oblivious of a fire that had broken out due to some reason and were caught in the inferno from which they could not wriggle out.
The girls were critically injured and died during treatment at the hospital, the Chief District Medical Officer Banalata Devi told reporters.
A pall of gloom descended on the locality as news of the incident spread all around.
PNN