Four members of the same family died of suffocation in the quarters of Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj, Banke. Three others are undergoing treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Dhan Prasad Bhattarai, an office assistant at the hospital, his mother Kokila, sister Nandakali and his three-month-old son Epson, informed Chief District Officer Surya Bahadur Khatri.
Dhan Prasad was a resident of Khadachakra in Kalikot. His wife Sushila, three-year-old son Biwas and brother Narendra Bhattarai are currently undergoing treatment at the Bheri Hospital.
According to Inspector Khim Bahadur Ghartimagar of the District Police Office, Banke, the condition of Biwas and Narendra is critical.
All seven members of the family had slept in the same room of the hospital’s quarters.
A team of police had reached Bhattarai’s room after hospital staff complained that his door had not been opened till late this morning.
Upon opening the door, police found everyone lying unconscious. Four family members breathed their last while receiving treatment at the hospital.
Police said that the family had been burning firewood in tin cans in the room to keep themselves warm. Police concluded that they may have suffocated to death as the room’s windows and doors were shut.
However, the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after the post-mortem report, said Inspector Ghartimagar.
