KOTTAYAM: A woman and her teenaged son on Monday burnt to death here when the four-member family tried to commit mass suicide after dousing themselves with petrol and kerosene at Thalayazham in Vaikom.
The deceased are Soja,48, wife of Suresh, ‘Chirackal’, Kothavara and her elder son Suraj,15.
Soja’s husband, Suresh, 45, and the couple’s younger son Sreeraj,12,who also suffered burn injuries, have been admitted to the Kottayam Government MCH. The condition of Suresh, who suffered 90 per cent burns, remains critical.
The incident occurred around 6.15 am on Monday. According to the police, Suresh and his family took the extreme step, allegedly due to the huge losses incurred from his hotel business. Police suspect Suresh, who stored petrol and kerosene in the house, doused his family members and himself before setting a light. Suresh’s mother Remani was present in the house at the time of the incident.
Hearing the screams of victims and Remani, people rushed to the spot and poured water on the victims to put out the fire. Though, all of them were rushed to the MCH, Soja and Suraj succumbed to injuries by noon.
The injuries suffered by Sreeraj are not life threatening. The bodies of Soja and Suraj have been kept at the MCH morgue.
Officers said Suresh had borrowed money from various money lenders. Vaikom police have registered a case in connection with the incident and launched an inquiry.