Kalimpong, April 28 TT: A 52-year-old man was burnt alive last night when he could not move out of his burning house on time because of his polio-affected limbs.
Mani Kumar Gurung said his family of nine, including his brother Devraj who died, was fast asleep, unaware that their house had caught fire. They were awakened around 11.30pm by the shouts of their neighbours in Ging tea estate, 10km from Darjeeling town.
“When I woke up I saw my house engulfed in flames. All of us rushed out immediately. We unfortunately could not save my brother. He could not walk and moved around only by dragging himself on his haunches,” Gurung said.
The neighbours said the Gurungs had no inkling they their house was on fire.
“We were the first to notice the flames. It was only after we raised the alarm that they became aware and rushed out. By the time we realised that Devraj was still inside, the flames had engulfed almost the entire house,” said a neighbour.
The villagers took more than two hours to douse the fire. After the blaze was put out the family members rushed in and took Devraj to the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Gurung said Devraj, who had suffered 80 per cent burns, could not move out of the house because of his handicap. “The material loss I suffered does not bother me at all. What is causing me unbearable pain is the loss of my elder brother,” he said.
Sources in the fire department in Darjeeling said they were not informed about the blaze.
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