The police have opened an inquest after two children died in a shack fire in Tafalofefe Village, Eastern Cape, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to the police, a woman had left the two boys, aged seven and 12, alone in the shack at around 22:00 on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, she was informed that her shack was on fire.

"Both boys were rushed to Tafalofefe Hospital and it was confirmed on arrival that the seven-year-old had died," said police spokesperson Captain Jackson Manatha.

The 12-year-old died in hospital on Wednesday.

Manatha said that the cause of the fire was still unknown, and that the Centane police were still investigating it.

"Police are also investigating why the boys were left alone in the shack," he added.