12 school children killed in Arunachal hostel fire

At least 12 school children were charred to death and eight injured in a massive fire that broke out at a private hostel in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

At least 12 school children were charred to death and eight injured in a massive fire that broke out at a private hostel in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Thursday.

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A police spokesperson said that the fire broke out around midnight at a hostel built with bamboo and hay at Palin in Kurung Kummpy district, 260 km north of state capital Itanagar.

"Right now, we are in the process of evacuating the injured by choppers to hospitals in Itanagar. Twelve bodies have been found," Remu Kemkei, district magistrate of Kurung Kummpy, told IANS.

There were 62 students of a local branch of the Don Bosco chain of schools staying at the privately-run hostel.

"We are investigating the cause of the fire but preliminary reports indicate that it could be an accidental fire as students were studying under candle light since there was no power supply," Kemkei said.