UPPER DIR: Six children of a family were burnt to death while a woman sustained injuries when a fire erupted in a house due to electric short circuit in far-flung Doogdara area of Upper Dir district late on Sunday night, police said.

They said that the victims were asleep when the fire erupted which engulfed the whole house, owned by Hamesh Gul, giving no time to the inmates to escape.

The locals tried to control the fire, but could not save the precious lives and the house. They pulled out the bodies and also the injured from the ashes later.

The deceased were identified as Neelam, 12, Nasrin, 9, Warisha, 5, Mudassir, 3, Shamina, 12, and Yasir, son and daughters of Hamesh Gul, while Samina, wife of Gul, received burns.

The injured and the dead were shifted to the rural health centre, Sheringle, by locals.

Doogdara is at a long distance from the district headquarters hospital as well from the Sheringle area, and due to this reason, fire tenders, rescue teams, civil defence or other volunteers could not reach the spot.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017