Gas cylinder leak puts family to sleep in Bangalore

A family of five was found unconscious at their residence in Yelahanka on Friday morning. Fortunately, an autorickshaw driver came to their rescue.

The family — restaurant owner Manjunath, 40, his wife Parvathi, 35, daughters Akshata, 15, and Amrutha, 13, and son Abhisheik, 7 — went to sleep on Thursday night and did not wake up on Friday morning. At first, the police suspected that the family committed suicide. However, the cause was later discovered — overexposure to liquefied petroleum gas that leaked from the cylinder.

On Thursday night, just before the couple hit the sack, Manjunath lit a mosquito repellent. Sadly, the couple was not aware of the gas leak from the stove too.

An autorickshaw driver, who frequented their home every morning to transport the food to the restaurant, visited them as usual. On getting no response after repeated knocks on the door, he became suspicious and broke open the door. The driver, sensing the gas leak, called the police and an ambulance. The family was first rushed to Yelahanka Government Hospital, where they were administered first-aid. They were then shifted to Victoria Hospital, where they are recovering. The police found that the house was kept in an unhygienic condition, with food strewn around.

The police said the couple may have fallen unconscious because of the food they ate or due to the gas leak.