The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Another child dies of burns

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Another child dies of burns

By Our Staff Reporter

THANJAVUR, JULY 22. One more child injured in the July 16 fire in a private aided school at Kumbakonam succumbed to her burns in hospital in the early hours today. With the death of Mariammal (8), a standard III student, the toll rose to 93.

Out of five injured children sent to Thanjavur, Mariammal was admitted to the Rajah Mirasdhar Government Hospital and the others were undergoing treatment in the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.

Two of the four — Janani and Meena — died on Wednesday.

J. Radhakrishnan, Collector, said that as per the orders issued by the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, for payment of Rs. 1 lakh each to the parents of Janani, Meena and Mariammal, the solatium was given.

DMK solatium

At Kumbakonam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, distributed a Rs. 28-lakh solatium to 112 families of the victims of the fire accident. It was given at Rs. 25,000 for each of the deceased and injured children.

Mr. Karunanidhi told newsmen that any amount of compensation would not heal the wounds of the bereaved parents.

``Though I wanted to come immediately (after the fire), I decided to come with the solatium and distribute it and hence the delay.''

Mr. Karunanidhi, who earlier visited the Kumbakonam Government Hospital, said the condition of the injured children was stable. He wished them speedy recovery.

Asked whether he was satisfied with the action taken by the Government, Mr. Karunanidhi said that in such cases the guilty should certainly be punished.

At the same time, the innocent should not be punished. He then went to the private aided school, where the fire occurred, and offered flower petals.

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