Berhampur: In an appalling incident, four children were burnt to death, after they accidently fell into a burning haystack in a paddy yard at Khairachata village under Polasara police limits of Ganjam district Sunday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Deepak Goud, son of Jaysen Goud, Sairam Jena, son of Santosh Jena, Itishree Jena, daughter of Tophan Jena and Alok Jena, son of Ratnakar Jena.
According to local villagers, the four children, aged between 5 and 8, were playing inside an under-construction toilet near the village Shiva temple. They were playing a ‘cooking game’ and had lighted a fire. Unfortunately, the fire spread to the nearby haystack and soon engulfed them. As a result, the four children sustained serious burn injuries.
Locals rushed to the spot as the children screamed for help and rescued them in critical conditions. All are stated to have suffered over 90 per cent burns.
They were initially rushed to Polsara Government Hospital and later shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Deepak and Sairam were pronounced brought dead, while Itishree breathed her last during treatment.
Alok, who sustained critical burn injuries, was administered primary treatment at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where he succumbed during treatment, MKCG Superintendent Dr Santosh Kumar Mishra said.
On being informed, police reached the hospital and sent the bodies for postmortem.
Expressing sorrow, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the family of the deceased. “I express my deep sympathy towards the bereaved families and announce Rs 4 lakh each for the next of the kin of the victims,” Patnaik said in a statement.
PNN