NEW DELHI — At least six people, including a three-year-old child, were killed and four others injured on Wednesday after a residential house caught fire in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.
The fire broke out in Kathua, about 284 km south of Srinagar, the capital city of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
“Early today at around 2:30 a.m. (local time), locals noticed the house on fire and raised the alarm to rescue its occupants. Due to the fire, the house was filled with thick smoke that had suffocated the occupants in their sleep,” a local police official said.
The injured are undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Kathua, he added.
India’s federal junior minister in Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh condoled the deaths in a statement.
“My sincere condolences to the bereaved family and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. I am in constant touch with the district administration,” Singh said.
Officials said it took several hours for the firefighters to douse the flame and bring it under control.
An investigation is underway to examine the cause of the fire.
XINHUA