Five of family killed due to asphyxiation

TNN Bureau. Updated: 1/6/2019 11:22:37 AM Front Page

SRINAGAR: In a heart-wrenching incident, five members of a family, including two children, died apparently due to asphyxiation at their rented accommodation here on Saturday.

Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh (45), a resident of Kupwara district's Tangdhar area, had come here a few days ago with his family for the treatment of his mother, a police official said.

They had rented a house in Boat Colony near SKIMS Hospital, Bemina, where the elderly woman, Reshma, was being treated, the official said.

On Friday night, the five members of the family apparently died due to suffocation, he said.

The official said Khurshid, his wife Gulshan Jan (45), their two children, Faizan Ahmad (8), and Furqaan Ahmad (5), and Khurshid’s mother Reshma Jan (65)-- all residents of Batpora village in Tanghdar were found dead.

He said the cause of the death is being ascertained and the bodies have been sent for an autopsy. However the deaths apparently occurred due to asphyxiation, he said, adding the police have registered a case in the matter.

He said arrangements are being made for airlifting the bodies to their native place in Kupwara.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the deaths.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir expressed deep sorrow and asked the administration to ensure adequate relief to the bereaved family.

Senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami urged the government to provide ex-gratia to their next of the kin.

In the wake of the incident, doctors association Kashmir (DAK) has once again advised people to use the safest heating arrangements in this extremely cold weather.

“It is heartbreaking that five members of a single family hailing from Tangdar Kupwara died due to suffocation at Bemina Srinagar. Though it is essential to warm living places in extremely cold winter but concrete and vigilant safety measures are essential to prevent deaths due to suffocation and electrical short-circuiting,” said president DAK Dr Suhail Naik.

“People are using different heating arrangements to warm their homes, but many of them can prove fatal and disastrous due to the callous attitude of family or poor knowledge about the system. “Furthermore, it is the prime responsibility of hotelier’s to advice and educate tourists coming to state about the dangers of gas heaters and electric blankets, Dr Naik added.

In the times of extremely cold weather, people, in general, are using different types of heating arrangements which are based on electricity, gas or wood like blowers, electric blankets, gas heaters, kerosene heaters, Furnace.

It is very important to know that none of them is safe if vigilant and appropriate measures are not kept in place. During winters we have witnessed deaths due to electric blanket short-circuiting and suffocation due to gas and kerosene heaters, Dr Naik added.


Comment on this Story