A man succumbed to burns and suffocation while his wife and children were battling for life allegedly due to the explosion of the battery of his electric scooter bought a day ago, in Gulabi Thota of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Suryarao Pet police, the victim Kotakonda Siva Kumar (40) died while being rushed to hospital on Saturday morning. His wife Harathi (30) and two children Bindu Sri (10) and Sasi (6) suffered severe suffocation due to inhalation of smoke.
Suryarao Pet circle inspector V. Janaki Ramaiah told The Hindu that Siva Kumar, a DTP operator, bought an electric scooter on Friday and reportedly plugged it in for charging in a room of his home in the night.
“The vehicle was in the front room and they slept in the room behind it when the battery exploded at around 3 a.m.. Following the explosion, the electric wiring of the house got burnt emanating smoke. In a hurry, the family moved to the kitchen and were stuck as there was no exit,” he said.
The neighbours who noticed the fire came to the rescue of the family and informed the police and 108 ambulance.
Siva Kumar’s wife and children were shifted to a private hospital for treatment. Police registered a case and took up investigation.
Company to inspect vehicle
Meanwhile, representatives of Boom Motors, the makers of the vehicle, are likely to inspect the vehicle to ascertain the exact cause of the mishap. Primarily, experts and police suspect short circuit of the battery which could have affected the house’s electric wiring triggering the fire mishap.
According to the company’s website the battery is to be charged between 2.5 to 4 hours for full charge.
