An eight-year-old girl who suffered severe burns in a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fire at her school canteen in Tansen, Palpa, was airlifted to Kathmandu for specialised treatment after sustaining critical injuries, officials said.

Sajuda Banu, an LKG student at Millennium Secondary School, is undergoing treatment at Kirtipur Hospital, where doctors said she had suffered deep burns to 45 percent of her body and remains in critical condition.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning while Banu was having a snack in the school canteen. According to school officials, a gas pipe connected to an LPG cylinder suddenly came loose, triggering a flash fire that engulfed the child.

Inspector Bhim Lal Bhattarai, information officer at the District Police Office, Palpa, said Banu sustained burns to her face, both arms, the right side of her chest, and from her waist down to her feet.

She was initially taken to United Mission Hospital in Tansen for emergency treatment. As her condition worsened, her family requested that she be transferred to Kathmandu.

“She was airlifted to Kirtipur Hospital by helicopter after her parents requested advanced medical care,” said Mahendra Pokharel, principal of Millennium Secondary School.

Hospital officials in Kirtipur said the girl remains under close medical observation because of the extent and severity of her injuries.