The Hindu : Front Page : Six of family die of suffocation

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Sunday, Jan 07, 2007
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Six of family die of suffocation

Staff Reporter

The victims' house engulfed in smoke following a fire in the premises

NIZAMABAD: Six persons of a family died of suffocation due to a fire that broke out in the premises of their house at Darmareddy village of Nagireddypet mandal, 100 km from here, around midnight on Friday night.

The victims were identified as Gudipally Pochaiah (52), his wife Hanumavva (48), his elder brother's wife Paravavva (50), daughter Chinnaboina Lakshmi (25), her daughter Swetha (4) and Paravavva's son Nagender (13). However, Balaiah, elder brother of Pochaiah, managed to emerge unscathed.

The victims died of suffocation as the house was engulfed in smoke. The bodies carried no sign of burn injuries. They were in sound sleep when the accident occurred. The four-room tiled house has no ventilation to let out smoke.

According to Sub-Inspector (in-charge) S. Madhusudhan, the victims might have died as they had no chance to come out of the house and the cattle-shed attached to the house right in front of it went up in flames.

The cause of fire was not immediately known, he said.

A pall of gloom descended on the village. Only two persons of the family-Balaiah and another son, who was away in Hyderabad at the time of the accident, were left behind.

Apathy of firemen?

Villagers accused the Fire Department of apathy. Firemen at Yellareddy fire station, 10 km from the village, did not respond promptly citing the reason that they had no diesel in fire machine, they complained.

E. Ravinder Reddy, the TRS MLA from Yellareddy, Collector I.S. Sri Naresh and Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha and revenue officials rushed to the village and tried to console next of kin of victims. However, they tasted the ire of villagers, according to information reaching here.

The residents held a protest demonstration and staged a `rasta roko' demanding the announcement of ex-gratia payment to the bereaved family and action against the firemen for their failure to extinguish flames. Protestors did not allow the police to shift bodies to Government Hospital at Yellareddy for post-mortem examination.

The Collector ordered an enquiry into the fire and also suspension of the firemen for their alleged "indifference". He promised action regarding the demand for payment of ex gratia.

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