Mirzapur: Girl, 3, dies after falling into mid-day school meal container

A 3-year-old girl suffered lethal burns when she fell into a mid-day meal container in a UP village school. The Mirzapur district administration is suspending the headmaster.

Atoddler has died of burns she suffered when she fell into a container with freshly-cooked food at a Mirzapur district school.

The three-year-old stumbled on construction material before falling, a leading daily reported Tuesday.

Her father claims cooks didn’t notice her in the container because they had earphones on.

When they did realise what had happened, they “scurried away,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Mirzapur: A 3-yr-old girl died in hospital after suffering burn injuries when she fell into a utensil which had freshly cooked midday meal,at a school in Rampur Atari village. Her father(in pic)says "Cooks had earphones on,they didn't notice&when they did they scurried away(03.2) pic.twitter.com/3zrLIvE2hB

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 3, 2020

The victim was not a school student, Mirzapur’s basic education officer said Monday. But an official who asked not to be named told the Hindustan Times she was enrolled at an anganvadi attached to the establishment.

The school is in Rampur Atari village, a little over an hour’s drive away from Mirzapur city in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Local authorities have promised to take action.

District Magistrate Sushil Kumar Patel said Monday that the headmaster would be suspended immediately.

The basic education officer was asked to file an FIR, he said.

The BEO, in turn, said he would investigate the incident after receiving the Block Education Officer’s report.

A kindergarten student, 6, died in similar circumstances in November in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh

He was running before he fell into container with hot sambhar, and could not be saved despite being given immediate medical attention, a police officer said.