Fire engulfs building in Pakistan, killing 6 children

A Pakistani police officer says six siblings have died in a fire in a residential building in the eastern city of Lahore.

Basharat Hasan says the fire broke out at the two-story building due to a short circuit early Sunday. He says three boys aged five to 12 were burned to death, while three girls, ages seven, nine and 15 died of suffocation. He says their mother was hospitalised in critical condition. Their father was not home at the time of the incident.

Hasan says rescue services reached the scene an hour after being alerted to the blaze. Such delays are not uncommon in Pakistan, where rescue services are poorly funded and often linked to political networks.