Himachal: Four children of migrant labourers charred to death in Una district

All four, including three siblings, were sleeping in a shanty when fire broke out near Gagret town around midnight

Four children of migrant labourers were charred to death after a fire broke out in two shanties at Bane-Di-Hatti village in Gagret town of Una district late on Wednesday.

People gather at the site where the four children were burnt alive when a fire broke out in two shanties at Bane-Di-Hatti village in Gagret town of Una district, on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Three brothers and sisters are among the victims.

State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said the fire broke out around midnight in the shanties belonging to Ramesh Dass and Bhadeshwar Dass, both from Darbhanga district of Bihar.

Ramesh Dass lost his daughter Neetu, 14, and two sons, Golu Kumar, 7, Shivam Kumar, 6, and their relative Kalidas’s son Sonu Kumar, 17, in the blaze. All four children were sleeping in one of the two shanties. They didn’t get a chance to escape as the fire engulfed the shanty in no time.

Mokhta said firefighters and police teams reached the spot and prevented the fire from spreading to other shanties. The cause is being ascertained.

A case was registered and bodies sent for post-mortem.