What Seemed Like Simple Advice Led to a Family’s Deadly Night

A tragic incident in India’s, Andhra Pradesh, has claimed the lives of four members of the same family, after a motorcycle engine was left running inside their home overnight on the advice of a mechanic.

The heartbreaking event occurred in Punganur town in the Annamayya district, where the victims, a 70-year-old grandfather and his three grandchildren, died in their sleep after inhaling toxic fumes from the motorbike.

According to police, the family’s two-wheeler reportedly had its piston replaced, and the mechanic advised the owner to keep the engine running overnight to help the newly installed parts “set properly”.

Following the advice, the vehicle was left running inside the house while the doors and windows were shut.

As the night progressed, exhaust fumes filled the poorly ventilated room, that can quickly became fatal in enclosed spaces.

The victims, who were sleeping inside the house, were found unconscious the following morning, as the authorities later confirmed they had died from suffocation caused by the toxic fumes.

The children’s parents survived because they were sleeping on the terrace at the time of the incident.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.