Burdwan: 4 kids suffer burn injuries

Kolkata: Four children aged between 5 to 7 years suffered burn injuries while playing inside an abandoned four-wheeler at Kanksa in West Burdwan on Wednesday afternoon.

According to police sources, the four children were initially rushed to a local hospital but two of them have been shifted to a private hospital in Durgapur with their conditions stated to be critical. The four children were playing inside the abandoned car on Rice Mill Road at around 3 pm when it suddenly caught fire. The locals on noticing the fire rushed to their rescue and after recovery rushed them to Panagarh primary health centre. A person fell ill due to the smoke while rescuing the children and has also been admitted to Panagarh Primary Health Centre.

Locals have informed that discarded vehicles are kept in the area and are sold and it is a usual practice for the children to get inside these vehicles for play. Prima facie investigations have revealed that the children had lit up a lamp while playing and this resulted in the fire. There was no engine inside the abandoned car. The Kanksa Police Station has started a probe to ascertain the cause of the fire.