ITANAGAR, Feb 11 � Fourteen students died and seven others were injured today in a fire at a private hostel in Arunachal Pradesh�s Kurung Kumey district, bordering China, Home Ministry officials said, reports PTI.
Fourteen students of Holy Angel Don Bosco School were killed in the fire at Palin area in the district. Of them only nine bodies could be identified, they said.
The fire broke out in the hostel, made of bamboo, run by a lady next to the school, the officials said. Seven students were injured in the fire.
�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.
The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, he said.
According to government officials, CRPF personnel were deployed in the area after locals clashed with the school authorities following the incident. A police team from neighbouring Upper Subansiri district was also rushed to the area.
Meanwhile, local MLA Takam Tagar, who is currently in New Delhi, claimed that he had been informed by locals that 13 students were dead and four others injured, two of them seriously. The serious students were rushed to a hospital in Itanagar. Three other MLAs of the district rushed to the area at the instruction of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.
Two students, an eight-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl were admitted to government-run Naharlagun General Hospital with 23 and 10 per cent burns respectively, hospital superintendent D Raina said.
