Giridih, Dec 20 (IANS): A tragic fire incident claimed the lives of a mother and her 12-year-old son in Jilimtand village, Dumri block, Giridih district, Jharkhand, the police said.

The incident occurred late on Thursday night, engulfing their makeshift straw hut in flames. Police recovered their charred bodies and sent them for post-mortem examination.

The victims, identified as Nuniya Devi and her son Babuchand Murmu, were sleeping in a temporary hut within a paddy barn. To ward off the cold, they lit a wood fire nearby. Unfortunately, the flames spread to the straw hut late at night.

Trapped inside, the mother and son were unable to escape, and their cries for help went unheard by the villagers.

Somra Murmu, the husband of Nuniya Devi, reported the fire incident to the villagers and alerted the police.

Dumri police station officers arrived at the scene on Friday morning, extinguished the fire, and retrieved the bodies.

According to Dumri police station in-charge Jagannath Pan, the villagers described the incident as an accident, though an investigation is underway.

Dumri MLA Jairam Mahato visited the site, expressing his condolences to the grieving family. He assured them of support and urged the district administration to provide compensation to the bereaved family and the damage caused by the fire.

He has demanded Rs 4 lakh compensation to the kin of victims from the government.

A pall of gloom descended over the village after the news of the deaths of Nuniya Devi and her son Babuchand Murmu spread.

This tragic event highlights a worrying trend of barn fires in Jharkhand. On December 18, a fire in Vishwaskhani village, Mahagama block, Godda district, destroyed paddy crop spread over three acres.

Similar incidents have been reported in Jharpo, Tatijharia block, Hazaribagh district, and Chakla village, Ormanjhi police station area, Ranchi district, within the past week.