Berhampur: In a heartrending incident, a woman and her four-year-old son were charred to death while two others were left battling for life with severe burn injuries following a fire caused by an LPG gas explosion at a house at Gayatri Nagar near Berhampur first gate in Ganjam district Friday evening.
They are identified as Santoshini Panda, wife of Santosh Panda and her son Madhav Panda. The injured were Panda’s landlady Sasmita Panigrahy, wife of Chittaranjan Panigrahy and neighbour Suranarayan Panda.
Things turned ugly after the deceased’s husband was asked to deposit Rs 19,000 before taking the body. Heart-broken after the death of his wife and son, Santosh managed to arrange Rs 11,000, but the hospital demanded the entire amount and did not allow him to take the bodies.
According to sources, Sasmita and Santoshini were gossiping Friday night, sitting on the house staircase while Madhav was playing in a room and Surya was sitting outside the building.
All of a sudden, fire broke out at the house of Santoshini, critically injuring the four. Locals suspected the woman was cooking and had turned on the gas while she was busy chatting with Sasmita.
On receipt of information, fire service personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames. They rescued the injured and admitted them to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
After preliminary probe, Santoshini and her son were referred to Cuttack-based SCB Medical College and Hospital. However, Santosh admitted them to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after their condition deteriorated before they could reach SCB. During treatment, the mother son duo succumbed to the burn injuries.
With no option left, Santosh informed Berhampur additional SP Shantunu Das about the hospital authorities’ demand who brought the incident to sub-collector Digant Routroy’s notice.
After the intervention of Routroy, the medical authorities allowed Santosh to take the body.
5000 hens charred in Ganjam
Berhampur: Around 5000 hens were charred after fire broke out at a poultry farm in Osingi village of Kabisuryanagar area in Ganjam district Saturday. According to reports, about four miscreants set the farm on fire following which the farm was completely gutted in the fire mishap. Though the exact motive behind the act is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the miscreants might have torched the poultry farm over business rivalry. Police have started investigation into the matter.
PNN
