Indian school blaze kills at least 84

At least 84 elementary school children were killed and 22 injured when a fire swept through a crowded, poorly equipped private school in southern India  Friday, trapping dozens of children who clawed at brick and concrete i n vain to escape, according to China Daily report on Saturday.

No teachers died in the fire at the Lord Krishna School in Kumbakonam, a town in Tamil Nadu State and all of the victims appeared to be from 8 to 10 years old, Indian state-run media reported.

More than 800 children were believed to be inside the crowded three-story building when the fire broke out at 11 a.m. A short circuit in a kitchen on the ground floor appeared to have ignited the blaze as lunch was being prepared, according to K. Natraj, a provincial police official.

The kitchen's thatched roof caught fire, and sparks then ignited the thatched roof on the top of the building, officials said.

Local television showed dozens of small, blackened bodies with skeletal limbs laid out on the floor inside a large hall. They were burned beyond recognition, their clothes seared off flaking skin.

The school's principal was arrested late Friday, Indian media reported.

Source: Xinhua