In Tarn Taran, the fireplace in the room burnt, a sleeping family, a couple and a two-month old baby died.
Jagran Team, Ludhiana/Shimla. The effect of cold wave and fog continued in Punjab on Sunday also. Due to dense fog, visibility remained very low, causing great inconvenience to the drivers. As the day progressed, the sun shone, but people shivered due to the cold wind.
In Alipur village of Tarn Taran, three members of a family who slept after lighting a fireplace in their room to save themselves from the cold, died of suffocation. One is admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. Those killed are 21-year-old Arshdeep Singh, his 20-year-old wife Jashandeep Kaur and two-month-old son Gurbaaz.
This is the second incident of death due to poisonous gas from fireplace in Tarn Taran in just a week. Earlier a couple had lost their lives. One died in Machhiwada, Ludhiana. Amritsar was the coldest in the state on Sunday. The minimum temperature here was 3.2 degrees Celsius.
According to the Meteorological Department, there may be light rain at the end of the week. The department has issued a yellow alert that dense fog and cold wave will continue next week also. Snowfall is expected in Himachal from 16 to 18 January. Due to severe cold, water in drinking water pipes has started freezing at many places in Saraj area of Mandi district. There too it is in the grip of cold wave.
The smoke from the coal fireplace overshadowed the happiness of the grandson's first Lohri.
Gursahib Singh, resident of Alipur village of Tarn Taran, told that he and his son Arshdeep work as laborers. Two months ago, grandson Gurbaz Singh was born. The family was busy preparing to celebrate Lohri on the birth of the grandson. Arshdeep's nine-year-old brother-in-law Kishan Singh had come home on Friday evening.
It was very cold on Saturday so Arshdeep lit the fire by putting coal in the fireplace. He went to his room at 9.30 pm. Arshdeep went to sleep in another room with his wife, son and brother-in-law. To avoid the cold, the fireplace was kept inside the room and the door was locked.
When the door did not open till 8.30 am on Sunday morning and despite repeated knocking no one opened the door, so they broke the door with the help of neighbours. Arshdeep, Jashandeep and the infant child were lying dead inside. Kishan was in an unconscious state.