Injured in AC blast, three of family die

A couple and their daughter died of serious burns they had suffered in a fire mishap after an air conditioner exploded due to a short circuit at their home at Mattadahalli in RT Nagar on Monday.

According to police, Shivarudrappa, 32, a cab driver, his wife Veena, 27, and their three-year-old daughter Aishwarya — who were being treated at the Victoria Hospital after suffering 40-50 per cent burns —  died early on Tuesday morning.

Shivarudrappa had returned home from work on Monday afternoon and switched the AC on, but it led to a short circuit and fire, which resulted in the explosion of the AC. Within minutes, the fire spread to the television set and the computer, police said.

On hearing the explosion, neighbours rushed out of their homes and found Shivarudrappa’s house engulfed in flames. They immediately alerted the police, the fire and emergency services as well as the ambulance.

The ambulance, however, did not arrive even after an hour.

“Shivarudrappa, his wife and daughter were writhing in pain. Fire tenders and the police rushed to the spot and doused the flames, but the ambulance did not show up even an hour after the incident. So, we arranged for a car and shifted the victims to Victoria Hospital,” said Nataraj, a neighbour. “Had the ambulance arrived on time, we could have taken them to hospital for treatment and their chances of survival could have been higher.”

Ashwini, the elder daughter of the couple, was at school when the incident took place. “She is the only surviving member of the family,” said a teary-eyed Nanjundappa, father of Shivarudrappa.