A three-year-old girl in India has died after falling into a boiling pot of food.
The young girl was at a school in Rampur Atari village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district for a midday meal scheme on Monday, February 3, when the incident took place.
She is believed to have been playing in the kitchen with other children when she stumbled on some ‘construction material’ and fell into a pot filled with boiling, freshly cooked food.
The three-year-old’s family alleged the cook was wearing earphones while in the kitchen, so they were unaware the children were playing dangerously close to the stove. The cook didn’t notice when the young girl fell into the pot, and only realised when they saw other children run away, screaming.
Speaking to the news site ANI, the father accused the cook of ‘scurrying away’ in fear when they noticed the child had fallen into the pot.
The young girl suffered bad burns and was taken to a health clinic, where she sadly died while being treated.
Mirzapur’s Basic Education Officer said the child was not a student at the school, but she is believed to have been enrolled at a child care centre attached to the establishment, India Today reports.
Mirzapur District Magistrate Sushil Kumar Patel spoke out about the incident, explaining an investigation has been ordered and a First Information Report (FIR) will be filed.
He commented:
Directions have been given for the immediate suspension of the headmaster of the school. The Basic Education Officer has been asked to lodge an FIR. Action will be taken against the people responsible.
According to The New Indian Express, Patel said authorities had received information there were six cooks at the school, and that the ‘accident happened due to negligence on their part’.
Basic Education Officer Virendra Kumar Singh said:
The matter has come to my knowledge. I will get this investigated after getting a report from the concerned Block Education Officer. Action will be taken. I am being told that the girl was not a student at the school.
The six cooks who were on the premises at the time have reportedly been taken into police custody.
A similar incident took place in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in November, when a six-year-old boy died after falling into container filled with hot sambhar.
He was given immediate medical attention but tragically could not be saved.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.