DHENKANAL: In a shocking incident, three members of a family died due to suffocation at a brick kiln near Kamalanga in the Dhenkanal district of Odisha.
A pall of gloom descended the village following the mishap that took place in the wee hours of Saturday. The deceased are identified as Meghanath Bhoi (50), his wife Neera Bhoi (45) and their son Jitu Bhoi. Another of the couple's sons, who was sleeping with them is in critical condition and under treatment at Talcher Thermal hospital.
According to the police, one Binay Sahoo had employed the labourers from Chhattisgarh in his brick kiln at Kamalanga. Along with their two sons, the Bhoi couple had slept over one of the klins, which was set on fire on Friday morning. Smoke emanating from the kiln left the four suffocated.
Hindol SDPO, Dipak Jena said when a fellow labourer went to check on the family, they did not respond. One of them climbed on top of the brick kiln and found them unconscious. The family was soon rushed to Talcher sub-divisional hospital where the doctors declared three of them as brought dead.
The SDPO said that the family had slept over the kiln assuming that fire would only catch slowly and there would be no harm.
A case of 'unnatural death' has been registered in the Kantabania police station and investigation has started, informed the police.
In November last year, two people had died after being suffocated in their room during the night near a brick kiln in Kantabania.