The death toll in the cooking gas leak fire in a rented quarter near the Puthiyangadi harbour has risen to four. The latest victim, Jitendra Behera, who had been undergoing treatment at the Kannur Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram, died on Thursday (October 16). The incident occurred around 6 a.m. last Friday when the gas cylinder caught fire.
According to police, the workers had turned off the cylinder valve and stove the previous night, which caused gas to spread inside the room. The blaze erupted when one of them unknowingly lit a beedi using a lighter.
The victims, Subhash Behera, 50, Nigam Behera, 40, Shiba Behera, 31, and Jithendra Behera, 28, all natives of Odisha and fishermen by occupation, sustained severe burns in the blaze. Residents and the Puthiyangadi police had rushed the injured to Kannur Government Medical College, where all four were under intensive care. Despite medical efforts, none survived.
Published – October 16, 2025 06:49 pm IST
