Bengaluru, 11 May

Two small children were burnt alive after a temporary shed caught fire unexpectedly, in Narayanapura under the Kothanur Police Station limits in the City on Monday afternoon.

The deceased children have been identified as five-year-old Arjun and three-year-old Asha, originally from Raichur district, and had come to Bengaluru with their parents

According to reports, the children’s parents, Durgappa and Savitri, had been living in the temporary shed at Narayanapura for the past six months and were working as daily wage labourers at a company named JCS. As the parents had been instructed not to bring their children to work, the couple had left the children in the care of their grandmother.

The tragedy unfolded around 1pm when the grandmother stepped out to use the toilet, leaving the children inside the shed. Within minutes, the entire shed was engulfed in flames, trapping the children inside, preventing any kind of rescue. One child died on the spot, while the other succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital.

According to preliminary investigations, the fire is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Kothanur police have registered a case, and further investigation is underway.