Pregnant woman sets herself ablaze

It is learnt that the woman took the extreme step following a quarrel with her husband and his family.

Fifty huts and two railway goods wagons were gutted in a fire, after a 23-year-old pregnant woman set herself ablaze in one of the huts adjacent to the track on Monday morning, police said.

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The five-month pregnant woman, residing in a slum adjoining Kodambakkam railway station in Chennai, took the extreme step following a quarrel with her husband and his family, police said.

The woman, Pachayammal, doused herself with kerosene and set herself ablaze. As the flames spread, adjacent huts caught fire. The railway wagons, which were stationed close to the huts, also caught fire, police said.

Meanwhile, fire services rushed to the spot and fought the flames for nearly one hour before putting it out completely. The woman was rushed to the hospital, but died en route, police said.