A 12-year-old boy was killed and four others were injured after a massive fire broke out at a Darul Uloom in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, officials said.
The fire erupted at around 1:30 am at Darul Uloom Baba Hydari Reshi in Mattan area of Anantnag, triggering panic among students staying in the seminary building. Fire and Emergency Services personnel, aided by locals and police, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue and firefighting operation.
Officials said several students were safely evacuated from the building, preventing what could have turned into a major tragedy. However, one student of Warden village, sustained critical burn injuries and later succumbed.
Four other students were injured in the incident and shifted to hospital for treatment. Doctors said the condition of the injured students was stable. Three of them suffered burn injuries while one sustained suffocation-related injuries.
A Fire and Emergency Services official said the department was already engaged in a firefighting operation in Harnag when the control room received information about the blaze in Mattan.
“When the first response team reached the spot, the entire attic portion of the building was engulfed in flames. The children were asleep and unable to move properly because of suffocation. Our personnel rescued and brought them downstairs,” the official said.
He said 33 students were present in the seminary at the time of the incident and all others were evacuated safely. The official also appreciated the role of locals and police in the rescue operation.
Appealing for better fire safety measures in educational institutions, the official said allowing children to sleep in attic portions was unsafe. He also urged people to avoid blocking roads at night to ensure timely movement of fire tenders during emergencies.
Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire.
