Kathua: At least six people, including two children, died and four were injured due to suffocation allegedly caused by a fire in a residential house in Ward Number 16, Shiva Nagar, Kathua on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as the owner of the house, Avatar Krishan(81), G Bhagat(17), Danish Bhagat(15), Barkha Raina (25), Takash Raina (3), and Advik Raina (4). They were taken to the hospital but were declared dead upon arrival.
According to initial reports, the fire started in a rental room due to a lamp and spread to other parts of the house, causing the person inside the room to die of suffocation from the smoke.
The injured include Swarna (61), Neetu Devi (40), Arun Kumar, and Kewal Krishan (69). All injured are undergoing treatment at Government Medical and Hospital, Kathua.
Providing details, Principal GMC Surinder Atri said the incident involved their recently retired Assistant Matron, who had been living in a rented house. He said six people were declared dead and four were injured in the incident.
He further stated that the incident occurred around 2 a.m. and it was initially established that the fire was caused by a lamp in the pooja room (jot), leading to suffocation. There are no burn marks on the deceased, and all four injured are stable.