ALMATY: Two children died in a house fire in the Pavlodar Region, northern Kazakhstan, local media reported on Thursday.

The regional emergency department said it received a report of a fire at a private home in the Ertis village at 8:33 a.m. (0333 GMT) on Thursday and firefighters arrived within three minutes.

Four children were inside the house at the time, one of whom escaped before firefighters arrived.

The other three were hospitalized, but two of them died later.

The fire burned about 50 square meters, and the cause is under investigation, the department said.

-Xinhua

KATHMANDU: Police have arrested five people on charges of defrauding Rs 2 million 870 thousand by promising to send individuals to various countries for foreign employment.

Among those arrested are 37-year-old Sunita Idhinggo Limbu from Sidingwa Rural Municipality-5, Taplejung; 30-year-old Abhisesh Karala from Musikot Municipality-10, Rukum West; 46-year-old Chet Narayan Acharya from Malarani Rural Municipality-1, Arghakhanchi; 49-year-old Reshamlal Lama Tamang from Chaurideurali Rural Municipality-7, Kavrepalanchok; and 42-year-old Nilima Shrestha from Kathmandu Metropolitan City-17, according to Spokesperson and Superintendent of Police Kaji Kumar Acharya of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office.

“Among those arrested, Sunita had taken Rs 150,000 saying she would send the victims to the UAE, Abhishek had taken Rs 340,000 saying he would send to the Maldives, Chetan Narayan had taken Rs 1 million 360 thousand saying he would send the victims to the UK, Resham had taken Rs 900,000 saying he would send a person to the USA, and Nilima had taken Rs 1 million 200 thousand from some people saying she would send them to the UK. The accused were arrested based on a complaint that they had become unreachable,” Spokesperson Acharya said.

He stated that all five arrested individuals have been sent to the Department of Foreign Employment for necessary investigation and action.

BHADRAPUR (Jhapa): An 18-month-old minor died and 12 others were injured in a road accident that occurred this morning at Naya Basti of Kankai Municipality-3 along the East-West Highway.

The deceased has been identified as Aarut Rajbanshi.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Khagendra Bahadur Khadka of the District Police Office, the accident occurred when a container (Me 1 Cha 4515), heading towards Maidhar from Birtamode, collided with a bus (Na 5 Kha 2149) coming from the opposite direction.

The condition of some of the injured is reported to be serious.

Police are searching for the bus driver, while the container driver, Jaqeer Hussain, 39, of Biratmode Municipality-6, has been taken into police custody for further investigation into the incident.