Heating gadgets emerge as silent killers in Kashmir, family of five dies of ‘suffocation’

Mysterious deaths in Kashmir due to suffocation from heating gadgets prompt warnings and investigations, sparking community concern.

The mysterious death of five family members in Srinagar, including three children, on Monday (January 6, 2025) brought to sharp focus the silent killer in the Valley in winters: asphyxiation due to multiple heating gadgets. Eight people have died in Kashmir apparently due to suffocation so far this winter.

A sense of shock and disbelief gripped locals of Srinagar’s Pandrathan area following the recovery of a couple and their three children — including a 28-day-old infant, an 18-month-old toddler and a three-year-old child — from a rented accommodation. Eyewitnesses said they spotted the family members dead in their room on Sunday afternoon after their relatives started enquiring about their well-being because they failed to contact them on their mobile phones.

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Officials identified the head of the family as Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, a chef from north Kashmir’s Uri area in Baramulla district. Officials found an electric blower in the room. The police have started an investigation into the incident and are yet to reach any conclusion about the deaths. However, initial reports suggested that the family members may have died due to suffocation.

The incident shook the locals as heating gadgets, especially those run on electricity, wood and coal, are widely used in the Kashmir valley to brave harsh winters. This year, Kashmir has seen two to three major spells of snowfall so far.

On January 5, a mother-son duo was found unconscious in their room in Kulgam’s Gudder area. The son, Nisar Ahmad Khan, 24, later died in the hospital. On December 22 last year, two persons from Kupwara district also died due to suffocation in Srinagar’s Qamarwari.

There are increasing incidents of heating gadgets resulting in the deaths of locals in Kashmir. The Valley’s premiere tertiary health institute, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), has issued a public advisory and urged residents to take immediate precautions to protect themselves and their families.