Chennai: In a tragic incident, three members of a family in Kodaikanal died this morning, after a LPG cylinder in their house exploded.
Dindigul district, Mangalam Kombu’s former Town Panchayat president Ganesan (50), his wife Jyothi (45) and daughter Vishnu Priya (10) died on the spot in the incident.
It is said Vishnu Priya was studying in a private school in Chinnalapatti and the family had come to their Mangalam Kombu house for Christmas and New Year holidays.
Sources said gas had leaked from the cylinder during the night. In the morning without realising the gas leakage, Jyothi had tried to ignite the stove for making tea, which had led to the blast killing all three members of the family.
It is said, the house had sheet roofs covered in wooden boards in fear of elephants. Since the door was locked from the inside, fire engulfed the entire house before the nearby residents could rush to the spot hearing the screams of the family members. The demise of three residents has shocked the residents.
Police and fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the spot after receiving the information. They recovered the bodies from the spot after putting off the flames and sent them to a government hospital nearby for post mortem. A case has been registered and investigations are going on, though no foul play is suspected to be the reason behind the mishap.
“The family members were unable to come out of their house due to flames that spread fast,” an official said. Since Ganesan was a well-known face in the locality, the demise of his entire family has saddened the entire village.