Newborn, grandmother die due to suffocation

SATARA: A 12-day-old baby girl and her 50-year-old maternal grandmother died due to suffocation at their bungalow in Sadarbazar area of Satara in the wee hours of Wednesday. The child's mother and another woman are undergoing treatment in a private hospital at Satara and are said to be in a critical condition.
The Satara city police have identified the deceased as Ranjana Anil Lad (50), while the newborn was not yet named.The baby's mother Archana Nitin Unmesh (27) and Unmesh's aunt Malati Lad (45) were also affected in the incident.
Investigating officer of the Satara police station J B Sapkal said that after her delivery, Unmesh had gone to her parents' home with her baby. The entire Lad family was awake till 2 am on Wednesday. Unmesh, her daughter, Lad and Malati later went to sleep in a room. "They lit a coal stove to keep the room warm for the baby," he said.
There was no ventilation in the room since all the windows and the door were tightly shut. "On Wednesday morning, family members did not get a response when they knocked on the door. They grew suspicious and forced open the door," Sapkal said.
They found the three women and the baby unconscious, he said. "The women and the baby were rushed to a nearby private hospital, where Lad and the newborn were declared dead on arrival. Unmesh and Malati are undergoing treatment and their condition is said to be critical," he added.
Sapkal said the police suspect that Lad and the baby died to due suffocation since there was no provision for ventilation in the room where the coal stove was lit. "We have registered a case of accidental death in this regard," he added.