Ranchi, Dec. 16: Two children, one aged six and another seven, were charred to death in a fire that engulfed a haystack when they accidentally lit up a match stick while playing at a village in Ranchi's Chanho block, the tragedy unfolding in front of some of their family members, who tried to save the duo but failed.

The deceased have been identified as Siwani Oraon (6), daughter of one Jatra Oraon, and Seema Oraon (5), daughter of Littu Oraon, residents of Kapadih village in Raghunathpur panchayat, around 40km from the state capital.

According to the villagers, the girls were playing near a haystack in Jatra's courtyard at 10.30am when the incident occurred. "One of them had got a match box from the kitchen and accidentally lit up a fire while playing with it. Soon, the flames spread and the haystack caught fire. Some women rushed to the spot when they saw the smoke and heard the shrieks. They also tried to douse the flames, using water drawn from wells, but in vain," said an eyewitness.

Police arrived in half an hour, but by that time, the two had been badly burnt.

No fire tender could be rushed to the spot as Ranchi fire station is over 40km away. An FIR has been registered.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that the two girls used to play hide and seek in the hay heaps. They were playing today when one of them might have lit up a match stick for fun. The fire spread quickly because of the wind and the girls were charred within 30 minutes. Foul play is being ruled out," said Chanho officer-in-charge Rupesh Kumar Singh.

Chanho BDO Praveen Kumar and circle officer Jaivardhan Kumar visited the spot. "We will recommend the administration to treat the incident as a disaster and pay compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families," said Jaivardhan.<>Kapadi village has a population of nearly 200 tribals, most of whom are farmers. The girls, who hail from farmers' families, were all by themselves as their parents had gone to the field for work.

"During rabi season, it is usual for children in villages to play in bundles of hay, but this is perhaps the first time that such an incident took place," said a local resident.