Three suffer severe burns in Erode mishap caused by gas leak

COIMBATORE: Three persons including two women suffered severe burns in a fire caused by a gas leak in Erode on Sunday night. The injured were identified by police as Lakshmi, 50, her daughter Revathi and son Ganesan, who works as an electrician. “As Lakshmi couldn’t light the stove, she called Ganesan to set right the snag. When he lit the stove, it resulted in a fire mishap injuring all the three persons. A major mishap was averted as Ganesan swiftly closed the valve of the cylinder,” police said. Hearing their cries, the neighbours took the trio to Bhavani Government Hospital. They were then taken to Perundurai Government Hospital for further treatment. On receiving information, a police team from Bhavani station arrived and found gas leaking through a hole in the hose connecting the cylinder and stove. “The hose could have been punctured by a rat bite. A further inquiry is underway,” police said.