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At a time when most of North India is heavily polarised, a group of madrasa students has set an example of harmony by offering food to people affected by a fire accident in Lucknow.

Students from the Madrasa Jamia Darul Huda packed food items for those affected by a fire accident in the Vikas Nagar area of Lucknow. A video shared online shows students and teachers from the madrasa making food packets.

The fire accident occurred on April 15 at a slum cluster, leaving many homes gutted and two children dead.

Rescue teams and residents trawled through the site reduced to ashes from the blaze the evening before.

The state government announced Rs 8 lakh in compensation to the family of the deceased. The bodies of the two children were recovered hours after the devastating fire, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Deeksha Sharma said.

“The bodies have been sent for a postmortem. Their parents have been informed,” she told reporters.

The two victims were Shruti, aged two, and her two-month-old sister, officials said. Police said the parents of the deceased children are from Kashipurwa village in Barabanki district.

The fire, which started on the evening of April 15 in a slum cluster near the Ring Road in Vikas Nagar, rapidly engulfed over 200 shanties and reduced residents’ belongings to ashes. Hundreds of people, mostly domestic workers and daily wage earners, were left homeless.

Sharma said fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately after the fire was reported. Police said the parents of the deceased children are from Kashipurwa village in Barabanki district.

He said a preliminary assessment by the revenue team is being carried out to provide financial assistance to the victims. Vishakh told news agency PTI that the deceased’s family would be provided Rs 8 lakh as compensation.

Officials said more than 30 LPG cylinders exploded in the fire, intensifying the flames, while smoke from the blaze was visible from up to 10 km away.

As a precautionary measure, around 20 nearby houses were evacuated.

Firefighting operations, involving nearly 20 fire tenders, continued for about five hours before the blaze was brought under control, with electricity supply in the area temporarily cut off.

The rescue effort went on till late into the night.

By April 16 morning, the area presented a grim picture, with ashes and charred household items bearing testimony to the devastating inferno.

The displaced residents were seen sifting through the debris in search of salvageable belongings. Some families were shifted overnight to temporary shelters, while others spent the night in the open on vacant plots nearby.

(With inputs from PTI)