Hazaribagh: At least four people died and three others sustained severe injuries due to suffocation after they kept the bonfire on throoughout the night to regulate the room temperature on Wednesday night in Rasuliganj area of Jharkhand's Hazaribag, police said.
Katkamadar police which has jurisdiction over the site responded to a distress call from the neighbourhood.
Preliminary investigations revealed the deceased and the injured were all from Bihar and were associated with a networking company. All seven were sleeping in the same room, while having left the bonfire on.
The victims, all residents of Bihar's Buxar district were engaged in the production and selling various powders door-to-door.
Police identifed the deceased as Rakesh Kumar, Akhilesh Kumar, Prince Kumar and Armaan Ali. Probe indicated that the tragedy was caused by the fumes from the fireplace burning in the room during the night. Among the injured, Rohit Yadav, Rakesh Kushwaha, and Salman Khan are currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Hazaribagh. One of them is critical, according to police.
Investigations revealed that the group was burning the coal in the room and had closed the door, leaving the fire on.
Police said Kunal Yadav, a neighbour, staying in the same locality, knocked on the doors of the house, which did not elicit any response. He got worried and alerted the authorities at 7 am.
Consequently, the authorities arrived and forcibly opened the door and found four individuals lifeless, while three others gasping for breath.
The local Katkamdag police station swiftly responded to the distress call, initiating an investigation into the incident. The bodies have been transferred to the Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Kunal Yadav recalled that following the dinner the previous night, everyone retired to their respective rooms due to the intense cold, opting to keep the fireplace burning for the warmth.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this event, seeking to understand the sequence of events that led to this loss of life and severe injury.
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