The deceased are nine month to one-and-a-half year old kids.

Local people said the children died as they were taken to witch doctors instead of health institutions for treatment. They said the children were suffering from sore throat, cough and eye problems.

Chandralal Chepang, a local resident, said the children did not recover even after taking medicines prescribed by health workers. “Some children are still suffering from cough,” he said.

People in the remote village have to walk for three hour to reach the nearest health post. They, however, complained that they hardly find health workers at the health post and have to receive medicines from office assistant. Health workers said that most of the Chepang children are deprived of nutritious food and are vulnerable to diseases.

“The children showed symptoms of pneumonia before they died,” Dr Bhojraj Adhikari of the Bharatpur Hospital said. He said people should keep themselves warm and eat nutritious food to be safe from the disease.

District Public Health Office chief Keharsingh Godar expressed ignorance about the death of the children. “We will send health workers to take stock of the situation and organise a health camp there,” he said.