Srinagar, Feb 8: A seven year-old-girl was charred to death and four other children and woman of a family were wounded when the house they lived in caught fire at Basant Bagh near City centre Wednesday morning, presumably following a cooking gas cylinder leak in the kitchen, reports and witnesses said.
 Naureen Showkat daughter of Showkat Ahmed Dhoobi –asleep in the second floor –was burnt alive when the fire erupted from first floor of the house but the inmates couldn’t rescue her.
 While the house believed to be owned by brother duo –Showkat and Farooq Ahmed Dhoobi –who lived there with their families was gutted to cinder, four adjacent houses including one of their brother, Ghulam Rasool Dhoobi were also damaged till the firefighters rushed there and doused the flames.

THE INCIDENT
 The witnesses said at around 8:30 AM the moment the cooking gas cylinder caught fire, Farooq’s wife Shakeela who was present there at once rushed upstairs to rescue the other inmates.
 Shouting for safety, Shakeela and other elders started rescuing the kids who were still in bed, as flames went up in the house.
 “They threw four of the children out from the windows and themselves too later jumped out … But in the chaos Naureen, sleeping in other room couldn’t be rescued and was burnt alive,” said Abdul Lateef Khan, deceased’s uncle.
 Showkat’s other daughter was also wounded while similar was the plight of Farooq’s kids: a son and twin daughters aged 4.

OFFICIAL VERSION
 Head Disaster Management cell, Aamir Ali said Mehreen aged around 8-years and Farooq Ahmed Dhobhi’s wife were critically wounded, while other three children were discharged after first aid from SMHS Hospital. 

THE RELIEF
 Divisional Commissioner, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon while condoling the incident directed Red Cross Committee to give Rs 10,000 out of their Regional Red Cross funds to each of the seriously injured for treatment.
 Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan, as per an official handout, has sanctioned Rs 37,000 for the fully damaged structure and Rs 7,000 for each of the partially damaged structures.
 “Rs 10,000 has also been sanctioned for the fully damaged house from District Red Cross funds,” it added. 
 Meanwhile the Div Com has asked DDC Srinagar to expedite the ex-gratia relief in favour of the deceased kid’s family.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Feb 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 IST