Three die in Puducherry after inhaling toxic gases in their bathrooms

Two women and a 15-year-old girl were asphyxiated, possibly due to the inhalation of toxic gases that emanated from the bathroom of their residences, in Pudhu Nagar, Reddiyarpalayam in Puducherry on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Two women and a 15-year-old girl were asphyxiated, possibly due to the inhalation of toxic gases that emanated from the bathrooms of their residences, in Pudhu Nagar, Reddiyarpalayam in Puducherry on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

The deceased were identified as Senthamarai, 72, her daughter Kamatchi, 55 and their neighbour Selvarani, 15. The incident occurred at around 8 a.m.

Police said Senthamarai had gone to the bathroom, when she reportedly inhaled toxic gases that emanated from the toilet and fainted. Her daughter Kamatchi who went to check on her also fainted in a similar manner.

In an almost identical incident shortly thereafter, Selvarani, 15, who was staying in an adjacent house in the locality also inhaled the toxic fumes in her toilet and fainted.

On being alerted, the Reddiyarpalayam police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed the victims to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Research Institute. While Senthamarai and Kamatchi died en route, Selvarani succumbed shortly after being admitted to the hospital.

Officials from the Oulgaret Municipality and the Public Health Division of the Public Works Department also rushed to Pudhu Nagar and checked whether there was any leak in the underground drainage network in the area. Sources said a ‘gas leak’ was reported from two houses in Pudhu Nagar and the authorities are checking the underground drainage lines. It is suspected that a gap between the drainage lines and the toilet could have resulted in the gas leaking back into the bathroom.

Local residents here have also complained about the continuous discharge of untreated water and sludge from the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Kanagan Eri.