Advertisement
This Article is From Feb 11, 2010

13 students die in Arunachal school hostel fire

13 students die in Arunachal school hostel fire
Itanagar: At least 13 students were burnt to death and seven others injured on Thursday in a fire at a private hostel in Arunachal Pradesh's Kurung Kumey district, bordering China, official sources said.

The students of St. Angel's Boarding School, both boys and girls, were killed after a fire swept through a hostel made of bamboo at Palin area in the district, Officer on Special Duty to the chief minister Nob Tshering said.

Prima facie, it appears that a short circuit could have led to the blaze, he said.

"The fire broke out at 2:30 am. There were about 56-60 students in the hostel when the mishap took place," DIG (Crime) Tashi Lama said.

Tshering said two platoons of reinforcements were rushed from the district headquarters of Koloriang to Palin where a platoon of CRPF were already present as tension prevailed in the area as locals clashed with school authorities following the incident.

Three MLAs of the district flew to the area in a helicopter at the instruction of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who would visit the site on Friday, Tshering said.

Four students were seriously injured, he said, adding the injured were admitted to hospitals here.

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world

Follow us:
Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com