A couple died of asphyxiation after a fire broke out at a guesthouse near the Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar inter-state bus terminal in Ludhiana early on Thursday. The police found bodies lying on bed, suspecting that they lost their consciousness due to carbon monoxide that resulted in their death.
Inspector Vijay Kumar, the station house officer (SHO) at division number 5 police station, said fire brigade personnel rushed to Royal Guest House and brought the blaze under control. The incident occurred at 5.30 am. Investigation shows that a short circuit on the second floor sparked off the fire. All guests, barring the couple, and the hotel staff managed to come out of the building in time and escaped unhurt. “The bodies of the couple were later found in a room. It is suspected that the two died of asphyxiation as smoke had engulfed the area and did not give them a chance to escape,” Vijay Kumar said.
The married woman, aged around 45, hailed from Ludhiana while the man in his thirties was from UP. According to the police, their families have requested that their identities be protected. The couple had booked the room on the second floor for a night on Wednesday.
The police have rounded up the manager of the guest house for questioning. At the time of the incident, four rooms of the guest house were occupied.
{{/usCountry}}The police have rounded up the manager of the guest house for questioning. At the time of the incident, four rooms of the guest house were occupied.
{{/usCountry}}The bodies were sent to the local civil hospital for post-mortem.
The police also found that the guesthouse has no fire safety arrangements. Moreover, there was only one exit. The guest house is situated in a narrow street. The fire brigade faced problems dousing the flames.
The SHO added that the victims’ kin were asked to record their statement to lodge an FIR.