Kendrapara, Jan 21: On Friday, an Odia couple died of asphyxiation in Bandipura area of Jammu and Kashmir valley due to emission of carbon monoxide from the room fire furnace. They had gone to J&K to appear in Bachelor of Education (B Ed.) examination. Another couple who were staying in the same room had to be hospitalized and are now in a critical state. All the four belonged to Kendrapada in Odisha.
The couple who died were Shyam Madhab Mishra (43) and his spouse Nibedita Mishra, from Madhyakhandi village within limits of rural police station here. They had taken the house on rent from a local resident. The hospitalized couple is Narayan Pujhari (47) and Sagarika Rath from Nial village within limits of Aul police station. They are battling for their lives in Sher-i-Kashmir Medical College and Hospital in Sringar. This was informed by the Kendrapara sub-divisional police officer, (SDPO) Kedarnath Sahu quoting Washir Ahmed, an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police at Bandipura police station in Kashmir.
The room fireplace which is used in the valley for keeping the living room warm and comfortable in adverse winter months, is generally extinguished with rise in room temperature. However, these couples from Odisha who were not acquainted with the system kept the fireplace burning, leading to emission of deadly carbon monoxide gas. Two couples were supposed to appear for B Ed examination in All Noor College in Bandipura. The examinations are scheduled to commence on Jan 24 as said by the Bandipura police, informed the Odisha police.
