Tragedy in Gaya: Grandmother and Two Young Children Die of Suffocation After Sleeping with Burning Brazier in Closed Room

A tragic incident shook Bihar’s Gaya district, where an elderly woman and her two young grandchildren lost their lives due to suffocation after sleeping in a closed room with a burning brazier (angithi) to keep warm amid severe cold conditions.

The incident occurred in Kurkihar village under the Wazirganj police station area. According to police, Meena Devi (60) slept in a room along with her grandson Sujeet Kumar (3) and granddaughter Anshu Kumari (5) on Tuesday night after lighting an angithi to escape the biting cold.

Officials said the room’s door and windows were shut, causing toxic smoke to accumulate overnight. The three reportedly died of suffocation caused by inhaling smoke and carbon monoxide.

Family members discovered the victims lying unconscious in the morning when they opened the room. They immediately rushed them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared all three dead.

Wazirganj Station House Officer Neeraj Kumar said that preliminary investigation suggests suffocation due to smoke from the brazier as the cause of death. “Post-mortem reports will confirm the exact cause. The bodies have been sent to Magadh Medical College Hospital for autopsy,” he said.

The heartbreaking incident has cast a pall of gloom over the village, with residents in deep shock and mourning. Locals described the victims as part of a humble family struggling to cope with extreme winter conditions.

Police and district officials have once again appealed to the public not to use angithis, heaters, or any fire-based warming devices inside closed rooms, warning that such practices can prove fatal. Citizens have been advised to keep doors and windows partially open and to immediately move outside if they experience dizziness, breathlessness, or smoke accumulation.

The tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of indoor heating methods during winter, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces.

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