MEERUT, Feb. 24 -- Six members of a cloth trader's family, including five children, were killed and several others narrowly escaped after a fire broke out in a three-storey residential building in the Lisari Gate area late on Monday evening, officials said. The dead children included six-month-old twin girls. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences and directed officials to expedite relief measures.

The incident occurred at around 9 pm in Lane No. 1 of Kidwai Nagar under Lisari Gate police station limits when flames erupted on the ground floor of the house, which was being used to store large quantities of garments. At the time, 12 women and children were inside, while the male members of the family had gone out for evening ...