A 57-year-old man and his two young sons died after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator running overnight inside their Chennai home.
The deceased have been identified as Selvaraj (57), and his sons Sumanraj (15) and Gokulraj (13). On Wednesday morning, Selvaraj’s wife, who lives in a separate house nearby, visited their residence and discovered all three unconscious, with froth oozing from their mouths.
Initially, police suspected suicide because of the frothing, but an autopsy performed at Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death. Investigators believe the family had kept the mini generator running throughout the night to cope with a power outage, unaware of the fatal gas buildup in the closed room.
In another tragic incident, at least five people were killed in a massive explosion at a fireworks factory in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, on Monday. The deceased included a woman. Witnesses described a terrifying scene as thick black smoke engulfed the factory and firecrackers continued to explode long after the initial blast.
Emergency teams raced to rescue the injured, many of whom suffered severe burns and were screaming for help. Sivakasi, India’s fireworks hub, has a long history of such disasters, often blamed on overcrowded facilities and lax safety practices.
Authorities have launched investigations into both incidents amid calls for stricter safety enforcement to prevent more avoidable deaths.