Rourkela mess fire: Death toll rises to five

Biswaranjan Satpthy and Budhadeb Minz, who received about 90 per cent burns on December 28, died last night at Ispat General Hospital (IGH), sources said.On the night of December 28, 75-year-old Akhaya Swain, a retired employee of Rourkela Steel Plant, set ablaze a room on the first floor of his house where seven persons including his son Ajit (45) and grandson Anup were having a party.

While two students of a local engineering college - Gopal Pradhan and Phillip Ekka - died on the same day, Ajit died of his injuries last afternoon, the sources said.Phillip was a student of Purusottam College of Engineering while rest of the students belonged to Padmanava College of Engineering here.

Senior police officers and police personnel had to rush to IGH as tension prevailed following report of the death of the two students last night as many students rushed to the hospital alleging negligence in treatment.

Akhaya was arrested on the same night and remanded to jail custody by a local court. According to Akshay, his family members were torturing him and he took the step in a fit of anger, police said.