Chaibasa, March 17 A devastating fire engulfed a house in Geetilipi village under the Jaganathpur police station area of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, on Monday, claiming the lives of four children, officials said.
The tragic incident occurred around 11 a.m., sending shockwaves throughout the village.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out in a room where the children were playing amid a pile of straw. With no adults present in the house at the time, the flames quickly spread, consuming the entire structure.
The cause of the fire is not clear, and authorities are conducting an investigation.
A village resident, Birang Gagarai, who was fetching water nearby, was the first to notice the fire. She spotted the children trapped inside and tried to rescue them but was overwhelmed by the intense heat and flames. Despite her desperate efforts to douse the fire, the blaze rapidly grew out of control.
The fire brigade arrived approximately an hour later to douse the flames.
The deceased children have been identified as Prince Chatar (5), son of Arjun Chatar; Sahil Sinku (5), son of Chandramohan Sinku; Rohit Sundi (2), son of Sukhram Sundi; and Bhumika Sundi (5). Their bodies are yet to be recovered from the charred remains of the house.
Local authorities, including Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Mahendra Chotan Oraon, Police Inspector Basudev Munda, Block Development Officer (BDO) Satyam Kumar, Circle Officer (CO) Manoj Kumar Mishra, and Jaganathpur Police Station In-Charge Sanjay Singh, have reached the spot to supervise rescue and relief operations.
The incident has left the village in mourning, with heart-wrenching scenes of grief as the bereaved families struggle to come to terms with their loss. "We tried everything to save them, but the fire was too fierce," said a distraught villager.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
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