SILCHAR: At least 40 thatched houses were gutted after a devastating fire broke out at Chengkori Road locality here on Saturday. One woman was charred to death, while four of a family were critically injured.A senior police officer said eight fire tenders fought for two hours to bring the fire under control. He said the woman, identified as Mamata Das (50), was suffering from paralysis and couldn't be rescued when fire engulfed her house. Only the charred remains of her body could be recovered.Four of a family - identified as Radha Krishna Das (35), his wife Bhagya Rani Das (30), their two daughters Pramila Das (10) and Lakshmi Das (6) - were critically injured in the fire. They were rushed to Silchar Medical Collage Hospital for treatment.Sources said the families, all daily wage earners, lost everything in the fire. They have temporarily taken shelter at a nearby school.Deputy speaker and Silchar MLA Dilip Kumar Paul on Sunday visited the area to take stock of the situation. He also visited the hospital to meet the injured. He said Mamata's next of kin will be given a sum of Rs 4 lakh. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will hand over the cheque on Monday during his visit to Silchar. Meanwhile, Cachar district administration has handed over cheques of Rs 3,800 to each of the 40 families along with food materials on Sunday as relief measures for the next three days.

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