THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 65-year-old woman, who set herself on fire reportedly after being distressed over her husband’s prolonged illness, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital on Tuesday.
The deceased is Nalinakumari, a resident of Arun Cottage at Thirumangalam along the Neyyattinkara-Poovar road. She had suffered severe burn injuries after setting herself on fire behind her house around 10.30 am on Monday.
After asking her grandson to play in the front yard, Nalinakumari went to the backside of the house where firewood and coconut husks had been stacked. She climbed onto the pile, poured kerosene over herself and set herself ablaze.
A relative living nearby rushed to the spot on hearing her screams and found her unconscious. She was immediately taken to a private hospital in Neyyattinkara. She had suffered nearly 80% burns. Her husband Christudas, a retired KSRTC employee, has been undergoing treatment for a long time at the same hospital as he suffered a stroke.
He was recently shifted to the intensive care unit after his condition worsened. The police said Nalinakumari had been under severe emotional distress since learning about the deterioration in her husband’s condition.
On Monday, she had told her son that she was going home for a short while from the hospital before attempting to end her life. The police said anxiety over her husband’s health was the reason behind the extreme step.