India hostel blaze kills 12 schoolchildren

INDIA: At least 12 children were killed in a massive fire on Thursday which gutted a school hostel in northeastern India made of bamboo and hay, a local official said.

Most of the 62 students managed to escape from the blaze, which broke out just after midnight at a private hostel housing students attending the missionary school in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Eight students were injured and were being airlifted to hospitals in the state capital of Itanagar, 260 kilometres from the district of Kurung Kummey where the hostel was located.

“Twelve bodies have been found. Efforts are on to look for anybody trapped or buried in the debris of the hostel,” district magistrate said. AFP