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New Delhi: As people continue to shiver through winter, the biting cold in northern India has prompted multiple deaths due to the inappropriate use of space heaters. At least 14 deaths have been reported in parts of Delhi, Bihar and Kashmir over the past month.
Reports say that people were found dead in closed rooms after becoming unconscious due to the accumulation of toxic air, which led to suffocation. Most of the deaths showed no signs of struggle, as the victims reportedly died in their sleep.
One of the most recent incidents was reported in Punjab’s Tarn Taran, where a couple and their one-month-old infant were found dead in a room with a brazier, with all doors and windows shut. Police said the three died of asphyxiation.
Recent reports reveal that such tragedies have become increasingly frequent, with space heaters now being termed “silent killers”. The problem is not limited to one location, as cases have been reported in both rural and urban residences.
A few days ago, a family of three in Delhi’s Mukundpur—a couple and their 10-year-old daughter—died in their sleep. The deaths are suspected to have occurred after a room heater malfunction triggered a fire.
In Bihar, a 60-year-old woman and her two grandchildren, aged six and five, suffocated after an "angeethi" was lit inside a closed room. In Srinagar, a couple and their three children succumbed to death in a rented flat. Officials suspect the family died of asphyxiation caused by an electric blower.
According to experts, carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that can prove fatal under certain conditions. In enclosed spaces, heaters and braziers consume oxygen and release toxic gases. These fumes can cause dizziness, headaches and sudden loss of consciousness before victims can identify the danger.
Doctors warn that prolonged use of heaters dries indoor air, increasing the risk of asthma, allergies and respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly.
