Kulgam, Jan 05: A 24-year-old man lost his life, and his mother remains critical after suffering asphyxiation in Gudder village of Kulgam district. This is the second such incident in the district within a week.
Asphyxiation, also known as suffocation, occurs when the body is deprived of oxygen due to abnormal breathing, leading to tissue and organ damage.
Yawar Mushtaq, the village head of Gudder, told Rising Kashmir that the duo had slept with a charcoal bukhari (heater) on to combat the cold. They were discovered unconscious in their room on Thursday morning.
“After noticing no activity around the house in the morning, villagers tried to call them out. When there was no response, we broke open the door and found both unconscious in the room,” Yawar said.
The victims were identified as Nisar Ahmad Khan (24) and his mother, Fehmeeda Begum (65). They were rushed to District Hospital Kulgam and later referred to GMC Anantnag. Due to their critical condition, they were further shifted to SKIMS Srinagar.
Nisar Ahmad succumbed to his condition on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, while his mother remains in the ICU.
Yawar added that the family consisted of only three members—two unmarried sons and their mother. The other son was working outside the district at the time of the incident.
Safety Advisory:
Experts have urged residents to exercise caution when using heating devices, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces, to prevent such tragedies.
Dr. Showkat Hussain Tali, HOD Pediatrics, GMC Anantnag, warned that Suffocation cases rise during winter as people use heating gadgets in closed spaces/rooms throughout the night, leading to excessive carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and Oxygen (O2) depletion that can cause immobility and death.
