Keonjhar: In a heart-wrenching incident, a woman and her one-month-old daughter were burnt to death after a kerosene lamp fell on them at Masinabila village under Ghatagaon police limits in the district late Sunday night. The deceased were identified as Kuntilata Naik alias Haramani (19) and her newborn baby girl Sabitri Naik.
Meanwhile, a woman was left battling for life while trying to save the two from the fire. She has been identified as Radhika Naik (50), mother of Kuntilata and grandmother of Sabitri. She was rescued and is undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital where her condition is critical, reports said.
According to sources, Kuntilata of Masinabila village had married Pratap Naik of Ankalpada village under Pandapada police limits three years back. Their first child had died due to an illness before the couple became parents to their second child a month back.
To take care of the newborn and its mother after delivery, Kuntilata’s parents had taken them to their village. Pratap is a daily wager and had gone to Anandapur for work when the incident occurred.
In the absence of electricity, the villagers depend on kerosene and oil lamps at night.
The mishap took place while Kuntilata was filling kerosene in a lamp kept on a shelf in the house holding the one-month-old baby in her hand. Due to her carelessness, kerosene spilled on them and the lamp fell on the duo while she was filling it.
All of a sudden, Kuntilata’s saree caught fire. Both the mother and the child sustained critical burn injuries. Hearing their screams, Kuntilata’s mother Radhika rushed to the spot and tried to rescue them, but in vain. She also sustained burn injuries before they were rescued by neighbours.
The injured were rushed to Ghatagaon community health centre (CHC) and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital (DHH). However, Kuntilata and the child succumbed to the burn injuries while undergoing treatment late Sunday night.
The bodies were seized and sent for post-mortem while a probe was launched into the incident. PNN
