Dhenkanal: Three members of a family asphyxiated to death at a brick kiln in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, police said Saturday.
The incident took place near Kamalanga village in Kantabania police station area Friday night when a migrant family from neighbouring Chhattisgarh was sleeping near the kiln.
The deceased were identified as couple Meghna Bhoi (50) and Niran Bhoi (45) and their son Jitu Bhoi (7).
Their other son was also seriously injured in the incident and is undergoing treatment at Talcher Thermal Hospital, a police officer said.
Hindol Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Dipak Jena said brick kiln owner Binay Sahoo had engaged migrant labourers from Chhattisgarh for work.
The family was sleeping near the kiln and smoke billowing from it is suspected to have caused the deaths due to suffocation, he said.
Another labourer found the four members of the family in an unconscious state Saturday morning, following which they were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead, while the seriously injured person was shifted to Talcher Thermal Hospital.
An unnatural death case has been registered and further investigation is underway, the SDPO added.
In November last year, two persons had similarly suffocated to death in their rooms near a brick kiln in Kantabania area.
PTI