Arunachal Pradesh: Class 1 student dies in hostel fire at Tawang school

NEW DELHI: A six-year-old student was killed as fire ravaged the hostel of a school in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district in the early hours of Thursday, a statement said. The fire broke out around 12.20 am at the hostel of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya at Taktsang when most children were asleep, it said.

Dorjee Tsomu, a student of class 8, and hostel warden Nima Lhamu managed to rescue several students, but Choine Tsomu of class 1 could not be saved, said the statement issued by the district administration. "Personnel of a nearby Indian Army unit, villagers, school staff and hostel authorities rushed to the scene. Despite their efforts, the dried wooden planks and furniture inside the hostel accelerated the fire's spread, making containment difficult," it said.

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District Deputy Commissioner Namgyal Angmo and SP DW Thongon visited the site to assess the damage. The body of the deceased girl was sent for post-mortem examination. Tsomu was a resident of Shocktsan village in the Jemeithang circle of the border district. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident, along with a district-wide safety audit of all residential schools and hostels.