Death toll from Durga puja pandal fire in Bhadoi, Uttar Pradesh goes up to 3

Police are suspecting a short circuit to be the main cause behind the fire but said they are waiting for confirmation from their technical team investigating the case.

The death toll from the Durga puja pandal fire in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadoi late on Sunday night went up to three as two more people, including a 10-year-old boy, succumbed to their burn injuries on Monday. According to reports, over 60 people suffered burns in the incident.

District magistrate Gaurang Rathi said the boy died while undergoing treatment in Varanasi. He added that 22 people suffered severe burn injuries and were rushed to Banaras Hindu University Trauma Centre in Varanasi.

Rathi said prima facie a short circuit appeared to be caused the fire even as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the matter.

Vinay Prakash, an eyewitness, said a curtain near the entrance of the pandal caught fire around the time of aarti.

Around 300 people were inside the Pandal at the time of the incident.

It is reportedly said that the victims, Naveen Kumar (10), son of Umesh Kumar who hails from Baari village, died on Monday morning while undergoing treatment in Varanasi. Jaya Devi (47) was declared brought dead by the doctors on Sunday night. Ankush Soni (12) succumbed at a Bhadohi hospital on Sunday night.

Some critically injured were also rushed to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Trauma Centre in Varanasi.

"Soon after getting information that the victims are being brought to BHU Trauma centre, we created a Green Corridor to ensure hassle-free transportation of the victims," Varanasi police commissioner A Satish Ganesh said.

Police are suspecting a short circuit to be the main cause behind the fire but said they are waiting for confirmation from their technical team investigating the case.