Mother, 7-Year-Old Daughter Suffocate To Death After Inhaling Toxic Gas From Water Heater

A woman and her daughter were found dead in their house after allegedly inhaling toxic gas that leaked from the water heater. The incident occurred in Bengaluru city, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Cops found a 35-year-old mother and her 7-year-old daughter dead in the bathroom from what appeared to be suffocation.

Authorities believe the duo passed out after inhaling an excessive amount of carbon monoxide, a toxic and odorless gas that leaked from the bathroom’s water heater, The Times of India reported.

The incident came to light when Narasimhamurthy, a man who works for a fabrication company was unable to reach his wife, Mangala who was home with their daughter, Gowtami.

When Mangala failed to respond to her husband's multiple calls Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m., Narasimhamurthy requested his landlord to check up on his wife and 7-year-old daughter.

Initially, the landlord tried the family’s door around 4 p.m. and found it locked from inside. He then managed to unlock the door through a window.

Once inside the house, the landlord found the bathroom door to be locked. He knocked on the door but no one answered. The landlord called Narasimhamurthy and informed the police about the incident, India Today reported.

Officers with the Soladevanahalli police reported to the scene and broke down the door. They found Mangala and her daughter unconscious on the bathroom floor.

"We suspect the incident took place at 11 a.m. when the duo went for a bath. They fell unconscious and breathed their last. They had closed the windows while taking bath. We suspect the duo suffocated to death after inhaling carbon monoxide that leaked from the substandard gas geyser in the bathroom," an officer involved in the investigation said to The Times of India.

The bodies have been sent for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death. Police are investigating the incident as a case of "unnatural death."

Earlier this month, at least 21 people stuck in traffic in Pakistan died from suspected cold or carbon monoxide poisoning caused by exhaust pipe fumes. The traffic was caused as tourists attempted to flee a massive blizzard.