Beijing, Feb 19 (IANS): Five children suffocated to death Monday in a deserted house that was being used to cure tobacco in southwest China's Guizhou province, authorities said.
The five children, all male and with ages ranging from four to six, were discovered by villagers at 5:40 p.m., reported Xinhua.
Four of the boys were dead when they were discovered, while the fifth died in hospital.
The children come from five different families. Their parents were helping out at a wedding dinner held for fellow villagers and had apparently left them unattended.
Initial investigation showed that the children died due to suffocation after straw in the abandoned house went up in flames.
The abandoned home is a mud-brick building with just one exit.