Cold Wave Turns Deadly: Six Die Of Coal Brazier Fumes In 2 Separate Incidents In Delhi

The incidents occurred as Delhi witnessed its coldest day of the winter, with the minimum temperature dipping to 3.5 degrees Celsius.

New Delhi: Six people, including two children and four members of a family, lost their lives after allegedly inhaling poisonous gases from coal braziers in their rooms in two different incidents in Delhi on Sunday, news agency PTI reported. The incidents occurred as the city witnessed its coldest day of the winter, with the minimum temperature dipping to 3.5 degrees Celsius. The first incident took place in Alipur area in outer north Delhi, where a family of four was found dead in their room. The victims were identified as Rakesh (40), a water tanker driver, his wife Lalita (38), and their sons Piyush (8) and Sunny (7).

The police said that they received a PCR call around 7 am, informing them about an unconscious person at Khera Kalan village in Delhi. When the police reached the spot, they found that the door of the room was locked from inside. They broke the glass window and opened the door, only to find four people lying unconscious inside. They were taken to the hospital, where they were declared dead.

The police said that a coal brazier (angithi) was found in the room and it appeared that the family died due to suffocation. The police have initiated further investigation and proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC.

The second incident happened in Inderpuri area of west Delhi, where two men from Nepal were found dead in their rented room. The deceased were Ram Bahadur (57), a driver, and Abhishek (22), a domestic help.

The police said that they received a call at 8.30 am, saying that two people were not opening their door. The police found that the door was locked from inside and they forced it open. They found two men unconscious in the room and rushed them to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The police said that a coal brazier with burnt residue was found in the room, which had only one window that was closed. There were no signs of injury on the bodies. The police have started further investigation and proceedings under section 174 CrPC.