Jammu, Dec 18 (KNO): Six persons of a family including two children died while four others were injured due to suffocation allegedly caused by a fire incident in a residential house in Kathua on Wednesday, officials said.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the incident took place in the mid night at a residential house in ward number 16, Shiva Nagar Kathua.
As per the initial reports, the fire started from a rental room due to a lamp and spread to other parts of the room, resulting in the death of six persons, who were inside the room. The six persons died of suffocation caused by the smoke.
The victims have been identified as the owner of the house Avatar Krishan, 81, Ganga 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.
Four others were injured in the incident, who have been identified as Swarna, 61, Neetu Devi, 40, Arun Kumar and Kewal Krishan, 69.
All the injured are undergoing treatment at Government Medical College and Hospital, Kathua.
Giving details, Principal GMC Surinder Atri said that the incident related to the recently retired Assistant Matron, who had been living in a rented house. He said six persons were brought dead and four others were injured in the incident.
He further said the incident reports at around 2 am in the night and prima facie, it has been established the fire was caused due to a lamp at Pooja room (jot) and the person died due to suffocation. He said there is no burn mark on the dead persons, while all four injured are stable.
Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident. “Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire in Kathua. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the office of LG J&K wrote on X.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of six lives in a devastating fire incident in Kathua district. In his condolence message, the Chief Minister described the incident as deeply painful, particularly as it claimed the lives of six people and injured another four.
“It is heartbreaking to learn about this tragedy where six precious lives were lost. I pray for eternal peace to the departed souls and for the swift recovery of those injured in this unfortunate incident,” he said.
The Chief Minister extended his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, praying for strength and forbearance to help them endure this difficult time. The fire, which broke out early Wednesday morning in a rented accommodation, led to the death of six individuals, including two minors, due to suffocation. The victims were rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Kathua, where they were declared ‘brought dead.’ Four others injured in the incident are currently undergoing treatment.
The Chief Minister assured that the best possible medical care is being provided to the injured. “I have directed the concerned authorities to ensure that the injured receive best possible treatment for a smooth recovery,” he said—(KNO)