Nanded, Aug 7 (PTI) Two sisters, aged 4 and 6, died after apparently inhaling toxic fumes released from chickpeas treated with a pesticide to protect the legume from insects at their home in Maharashtra’s Nanded district, officials said on Friday.
Family sources identified the girls as Arohi Debekar and her younger sister Aradhya Debekar, daughters of Mallesh Debekar of Balapur village. The siblings were found dead on Thursday morning, they said.
The sources said that the family was sleeping in a room where chickpeas mixed with a pesticide had been stored to protect the food item from insects. It appears that noxious fumes released from the pesticide affected the family, as the doors and windows were closed, they said.
The children and their parents reportedly vomited during the night. However, the girls’ bodies could not handle the poisonous chemical, said officials.
The last rites of the sisters were performed on Thursday in the presence of a large number of villagers, said officials, adding that efforts are being made to determine the exact cause of the deaths. PTI COR NR
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