At least nine children were killed and 20 others were severely injured after a fire swept through a village in Dadu district in Pakistan's Sindh province that reduced houses to rubble and caused livestock to perish, eyewitnesses said.
The tragic incident took place on Monday at 9 pm after a fire reportedly broke out in the kitchen of a hut in Faiz Mohammad Daryani Chandio village, according to eyewitness accounts.
Due to the sweltering heat, the fire raged in no time, reducing all the 50 houses in the village to rubble, and severely injuring at least 20 others. More than 160 livestock also perished in the blaze.
Despite repeated calls, no fire service official had arrived more than 12 hours later after the blaze had subsided, the villagers alleged.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Thursday that an inquiry was being held to ascertain the tardy response from the fire service officials and vowed to punish whoever was responsible for this incident.
Shah also promised compensation to the villagers who have lost their homes and livestock due to the fire.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government will take measures to provide relief to the families of the victims.
Sharif asked Shah to furnish a comprehensive report, including a copy of the FIR, the cause of the fire, and the loss of lives, properties and livestock.