Chhapra: Four members of a single family, including three young children, died late on Friday night in Chhapra after suffocating in a closed room where a brazier had been lit for warmth, police and hospital officials said. Three other relatives remain in a critical condition.
The dead have been identified as Tejas, aged three; Adhyay, four; seven-month-old Gudiya Kumari; and their 70-year-old grandmother, Kamalawati Devi. The incident occurred in Ambika Colony, near Bharat Milap Chowk, under the Bhagwan Bazar police station area.
Three other family members – Amit Kumar, Amisha and Anjali – were found unconscious and rushed to Chhapra Sadar Hospital, where doctors said their condition remains serious.
According to relatives and local officials, the family had gathered in a single room to escape the biting cold. A charcoal brazier was kept burning through the night, with doors and windows shut. As the fuel smouldered, carbon monoxide is believed to have accumulated in the room, gradually displacing oxygen.
Early on Saturday morning, one of the survivors reportedly began to feel unwell and managed to open the door before collapsing. When he regained partial consciousness and tried to wake the others, four family members were unresponsive. They were taken to hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Police said a preliminary inquiry suggests carbon monoxide poisoning, a recurring winter hazard in parts of north India where people rely on indoor fires or stoves for heat. A postmortem examination is expected to confirm the exact cause of death.
The tragedy has cast a pall over the neighbourhood, with residents gathering outside the family’s home in shock and mourning. Local authorities have urged people to avoid using braziers or open fires in closed spaces, warning that such practices can turn fatal within hours during the winter cold.
