Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Majhi has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of two minor boys, who were charred to death as a haystack caught fire in Odisha’s Boudh district on Saturday.
The deceased, identified as Krishna Urma (8) and Krishna Bhoi (5), were maternal uncle and nephew in relationship.
The incident was reported from Balakira village under Baunsuni police limits when a heap of straw in which they had taken shelter to protect themselves from a blaze caught fire in the evening.
According to locals, the boys were sitting near a fire outside their house due to chilly weather conditions in the evening, which then started spreading. The boys took shelter in the heap of straw to protect themselves but that also caught fire. Hearing their screams, family members rescued the two boys and rushed them to Community Health Centre (CHC) at Baunsuni but the duo was declared as dead on arrival by the doctors there.
