Seven-year-old girl killed, 2 injured as fire breaks out in UP village

A seven-year-old girl was killed while two girls were seriously injured in a fire in Nisanpsari village under the jurisdiction of the Makhi police station on Monday morning, police said.

The fire broke out at a shop near a house where the victims were taking part in "kanya pujan", they added.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased and ordered a probe into the incident.

The fire broke out at a general merchant shop near the house owned by Sunil, where the "kanya pujan" was organised on the occasion of "navami", Station House Officer (SHO), Makhi police station Raj Bahadur said.

While Puja (7) died on the spot, Khushi (10) and Mishti (4) were seriously injured and rushed to the Community Health Centre, he said, adding that efforts were on to ascertain the cause of the blaze.

The chief minister condoled the death of the girl and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh for her next of kin, a government official said in Lucknow.

Adityanath also asked the district magistrate (DM) and the superintendent of police (SP) to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report by Tuesday, the official said.

The DM and the SP were also instructed by the chief minister to ensure proper treatment of the injured, he added.