Three of family charred to death as house catches fire in Madhya Pradesh

Datia, Madhya Pradesh: A couple and their minor daughter were charred to death after their house was engulfed in a fire which erupted in a heap of garbage near their dwelling in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening at Tigru village under Lanch police station limits, an official said, adding the couple's minor son was seriously injured in the blaze.

A garbage dump lying under a high-tension electricity line behind the house caught fire due to a short-circuit. The fire then spread to the house of the victims, Lanch Police Station in-charge Shweta Sikarwar said.

By the time villagers saw the blaze and tried to rescue the victims, the house owner, Viru Karan (37), was charred to death, she said.

Viru's wife Saraswati Karan (34) and their daughter Nidhi (9) succumbed to burn injuries during treatment on Tuesday night, the official said.

The couple's seven-year-old son suffered serious burn injuries and was undergoing treatment at the district hospital, she said.