Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh): A 2.5-year- old girl was burnt alive and a five-year-old boy sustained burns late Tuesday night when a fire broke out in a tent set up to guard crops, official sources said on Thursday. The injured was admitted to the district hospital.
When the incident occurred, the father of the girl had gone to a far-flung village to hire labourers to cut off crops. On the other hand, the father of the injured boy went to take part in the last rites of a relative. The mothers of the children were harvesting crops nearly 300 meters away from the tent where the incident occurred.
The tent was made of wrapper, wood and grass. Both were playing on the tent which was set up on a raised ground so that the children could be seen. There was also a staircase to climb the top of the tent. When the fire broke out the boy jumped from the top of the tent and remained safe, though he sustained injuries, but the girl Dineshwari was caught in the fire and died.
When the mothers of both children saw the fire, they rushed to the spot and doused the flames. The police were informed about the incident. The boy was sent to a government hospital in Gadhi. Although it is not known how the fire broke out, sources said they were lighting matchsticks, which caused the fire.
