Authorities believe that the release of deadly gas that killed eleven people, including three children, on Sunday in Ludhiana’s densely populated Giaspura neighbourhood was caused by the dumping of various chemicals into a sewer.

According to officials, the area was shut off, people were evicted, and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was on the scene as a result of the event. Four more people who became unwell are being treated at a hospital, they added.

Five of the 11 fatalities were from a single family, along with a couple and three additional victims. It has not yet been possible to identify a deceased man in his mid-20s. The family members of those who died in a gas leak early on Sunday would receive a  Rs 2 lakh rupee ex-gratia settlement, according to Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh.

Family of five

After inhaling an unidentified deadly gas, 40-year-old Dr Kavilash, his wife 35-year-old Varsha, their sons Abhynarayan, 13, and Aryan, 10, as well as their daughter Kalpna, 16, all perished. They resided in a home that was 100 square yards away from Kavilash’s private clinic.

Kavilash, a native of the village of Manjiyaama, established his practise in Giaspura from a rented residence. He later wed Varsha, and the two of them constructed their own home. Varsha used to help her husband manage the clinic, Indian Express reported.

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Couple who had minor daughter died

The gas leak on Sunday also claimed the lives of Navneet Kumar, 39, an accountant with Aarti Steels, and his wife Neetu Devi, 36. The distance between their home and Kavilash’s is only two buildings. Nandini, a young child who belongs to the couple, is healthy. Nitin, the 40-year-old older brother of Navneet who also resides in the home, has been taken to the local hospital. The family is from the Bihar city of Hajipur.

Local store owner

Another victim is Saurav Goyal, owner of the Goyal Kirana store, which is close to Kavilash and Navneet’s homes. Saurav Goyal is 35 years old. Both his mother Kamlesh Goyal, 60, and his wife Preety, 31, died. Gaurav, Saurav’s 50-year-old older brother, has been rushed to the hospital. The sewer hole is next to the Kirana store.

Along with Nitin and Gaurav, Rajesh Kumar, 28, a resident of Street Number 1 Sitara Cinema near Sua Road, and Rubi Devi, 29, a resident of Makkar colony, had been admitted to the hospital for treatment.

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According to sources, there was a gas leak in the region a year ago as well, although no one was harmed at the time. They continued by saying that a few people who purchased milk from the Goyal kirana store around 6.30 am on Sunday complained of smelling petrol, and a half-hour later some locals began getting unwell.