Kolkata: Three children were burnt to death and two others were critically injured in a blaze sparked by firecrackers they were bursting in West Bengal's Howrah district during Diwali celebrations on Friday evening, an official said.
The incident took place in ward number 27 of Uluberia Municipality when the children of the same locality were bursting firecrackers as sparks fell on some fireworks stored nearby, triggering a blaze that engulfed an adjacent house.
While three children were gutted in the blaze and declared dead at Uluberia Medical College and Hospital, two other children were in critical condition and were undergoing treatment.
Two fire tenders were deployed at the spot, next to a flyover, and succeeded in containing the blaze, a fire brigade official said.
The three deceased children were identified as Tania Mistri (14), Ishan Dhara (6) and Mumtaz Khatun (8). The house belonged to one Kajal Sheikh and one of the three children belonged to his family while others were neighbours.
West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose said, "Three fatalities have been confirmed in the blaze. It is a tragic incident. I will visit the area." A pall of gloom descended in the town following the incident numbing Diwali festivities as local Kali Puja organisers turned off the illuminations.
