Nawada/Patna: A harsh cold wave sweeping across Bihar has claimed two lives in Nawada district, where a grandfather and his infant grandson died after inhaling smoke from a brazier used to keep warm inside a closed room.
The incident occurred late on Saturday night in Triloki Bigha village, under the Mufassil police station area of Nawada. Five members of a family were sleeping in a single room with a brazier lit to combat the biting cold, local officials said.
According to family members and hospital authorities, the room was shut through the night, allowing smoke from the burning coal to accumulate. The occupants are believed to have lost consciousness due to suffocation while they slept.
Concern was raised the following morning when the door remained unopened for a long time. Relatives forced it open and found all five people unconscious. They were rushed to VIMS Pawapuri for treatment.
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Doctors declared the 50-year-old grandfather and his one-year-old grandson, Ashish Kumar, dead during treatment. Ashish had been visiting his maternal grandparents with his mother. Three other family members, including the child’s mother and grandmother, remain in critical condition.
Hospital sources said two of the injured are being treated at Pawapuri, while one has been referred to Patna for advanced care.
“Five people were sleeping in one room with a brazier burning. Two of them died due to suffocation — the grandfather and the grandson — while three others are hospitalised,” said Rohit Kumar, a relative of the deceased.
Authorities have repeatedly warned against using open fires or coal braziers in enclosed spaces, a practice that becomes more common during cold waves but carries a high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. With temperatures remaining low across much of Bihar, officials have urged residents to take precautions to avoid similar tragedies.
