Srinagar- Over the past two years, seventeen individuals have tragically lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir due to asphyxia—an alarming phenomenon that predominantly surfaces during the winter months in Kashmir.
According to doctors, asphyxiation is caused by lack of oxygen, which can quickly lead to brain hemorrhage, unconsciousness, and even death. The primary causes of winter-related fatalities are often linked to asphyxiation stemming from inadequately vented heating sources, or heart attacks due to overexertion while shoveling snow.
News reports reveal that six children and eleven adults have succumbed to asphyxiation since February 2022. A total of ten deaths due to asphyxiation were reported in J&K in 2023, followed by seven in the previous year.
A migrant worker died of suffocation at his rented accommodation in Bijbehera area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag on Monday morning. Another non-local laborer from Nepal succumbed to suffocation in the Nowgam area of Srinagar, while his colleague was hospitalized after they fell unconscious on November 26 of this year.
On January 28, 2023 three members of a single family, including a couple and their daughter, tragically died of suffocation in Balihat, Ramban district. Later on February 8, a newborn was among the five members of a non-local family who tragically died of asphyxiation. The family was from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh who were temporarily residing in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
On February 24, 2022, tragedy struck in Doda district of Jammu as an 18-year-old youth, employed as a cook in a hotel, succumbed to suffocation, while his colleague was discovered in an unconscious state. A couple from Noorbagh area in Baramulla district, located in north Kashmir, also lost their lives due to asphyxiation on November 10, 2022,.
In another unfortunate incident, on December 28, 2022, four members of a family, including three minors, were found dead under mysterious circumstances at Chopanpora in Chaknarwa village, situated in Banihal in the Ramban district.
Leading Pulmonologist and Head of the Department at the Government Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah cautioned people against excessive use of Kangri, gas heaters and other electronic heating gadgets during Chilai-Kalan, saying all these heat sources, including Kangri, might cause asphyxia, which can result in unconsciousness or even death from suffocation.
“People would sit in a common room without ventilation throughout the winters, using traditional kangris, gas heaters and other electric heating appliances, which releases toxic gases, resulting in unconsciousness or even death from suffocation,” Dr Naveed told Kashmir Observer.
Electronic heaters or even Kangri, Dr Naveed said, reduce the amount of moisture in the air, making it dry. As a result, those who already have respiratory conditions may feel uneasiness and asphyxiation.
“Electric hamam’s are completely safe since they don’t emit any toxic gases into the atmosphere as electronic heating gadgets and Kangri’s do. Even during power shortages, its warmth lasts for more than four hours,” he added.
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