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3 children charred to death in fire in Indian capital

Xinhua, January 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Three children were charred to death in a major fire that broke out in a slum in the Indian capital late Saturday night.

"The incident happened in New Usmanpur area in which over a dozen hutments were gutted. Some six fire engines were pressed into service," a senior police officer said.

Despite best efforts, three children of a family could not be rescued and they were charred to death in their hutment, he said, on condition of anonymity.

"Preliminary probe suggests the fire was triggered by a cylinder blast in one of the hutments. However, we will wait for the final report to reach a conclusion," the official added.

Cylinder blasts are common in hutments across India because of the poor safety standards being followed by slum dwellers. Endit