Four minor girls of a family were charred to death when a fire broke out in a jhuggi cluster near Ramdayalu railway station in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, an official said on Tuesday.
Seven other persons sustained burn injuries in the slum fire that broke out on Monday night and are undergoing treatment at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in the district where their condition is stated to be critical, he said.
The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained so far.
The four girls who died in the fire are aged between three and 12 years and have been identified to be daughters of a person named Naresh Ram, the official said.
Sudhanshu Shekhar, the circle officer of Mushari (Muzaffarpur) said, “The incident took place in the jhuggi at around 10.30 pm on Monday. The blaze spread quickly and the fire department was immediately informed. It brought the fire under control after some time".
The incident is being investigated by the authorities concerned, he said.
Shekhar said the administration has initiated the process of giving Ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.