Four children, including a girl, were killed when the stack of straw they were playing with caught fire at Khairachata village under Polasara block of Odisha’s Ganjam district on Sunday morning.
All the victims were under 10 years of age.
According to the area residents, the children were constructing a play house with a heap of straw inside a semi-constructed house.
They are suspected to have lit a fire which ignited the straw.
Shifted to hospital
All of them were immediately shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
The deceased were identified as Sairam Jani, 4, Dipak Gouda, 8, Alok Jena, 5, and a girl Itishree Jena, 7.
According to paediatrician, Sunil Agarwal of MKCG Medical College, two children were already dead when they were brought to the hospital.
Another child died during primary treatment.
A critically injured Alok was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as MKCG Medical College and Hospital does not have a burns unit.
The child breathed his last in SCB Medical College on Sunday night.
Ex gratia announced
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared an ex gratia relief of ₹4 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims.
