In a tragic incident, a 15-year-old child labourer was burnt alive as fire engulfed a shop in the daily market area of Bhawanipatna town today, police said.
The deceased boy was identified as Siman Bag who was busy working on the fist floor of the shop when the fire broke out. The boy failed to escape as the ground floor and the only escape point was also engulfed by fire. His charred body was recovered, police said.
The owner of the shop, who was on the ground floor, however, managed to escape while properties were gutted in the incident, they said.
The fire also affected three neighbouring shops. According to fire brigade officials, the fire might have originated from compressor of a deep freeze in the shop. A gas cylinder in the shop also caught fire and exploded, they said.
"Autopsy of the deceased worker has been done in the Government hospital here and body handed over to the parents," Inspector-in-Charge of Bhawanipatna town police station Samir Raut said.
