Twelve people charred to death in Bihar tragedy

Twelve people, including six children, were charred to death on Friday in a fire at a house here.

The incident took place in Hari Nagar tola when the fire from a nearby house engulfed Jagta Ram’s residence trapping his family members, who had gathered for a social function, District Magistrate Kamal Tanuj said.

Twelve people - six children, two women and four men were burnt to death in the blaze, he said. It was, however, not clear what cause the fire in the nearby house. At least six other family members sustained burn injuries, Daud Nagar police station in-charge Pankaj Kumar said, adding they were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The DM said ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh would be given to the kin of each killed in the blaze. The district magistrate said the fire was extinguished by the villagers themselves and the cause of the blaze was being investigated. CM Nitish Kumar expressed profound grief over the tragedy.