Ambuja Sahu at MKCG hospital in Berhampur. Telegraph picture

Berhampur, Oct. 23: At a time, when the city and several parts of Ganjam district are plunged into darkness post-Phailin, the use of generator sets by the people has taken its toll.

Anita Sahu, 34, and her one-year-old daughter Saina died in suffocation due to emission of carbon dioxide by the kerosene-operated generator set at Godabarish Nagar second lane early in the morning today. Anita’s husband Ambuja Charan Sahu, 40, and son Omsri, 14, were taken ill.

“The incident occurred when Anita had come to visit her father’s house with her husband and two children at Godabarish Nagar second lane,” said officer of BNPur police station R.N. Padhi.

The city has been without power since October 12.

The couple, along with the children, slept in the room after switching on the generator set around 10pm last night, said Anita’s father Sunil Kumar Sahu, who is a post master. “Unfortunately, the windows and doors were closed from inside,” he said.

Sunil rescued four of them at midnight after Ambuja had called him up to say that they were feeling unwell and not able to wake up. “We immediately brought them to MKCG hospital. But, Anita died at 2.40am and Saina at 3.05am at the hospital. Ambuja was admitted at the medicine ward and Omsri at the paediatric ward in a serious condition,” he said.

“We have registered an unnatural death case,” said Padhi.

In a similar incident, Kamalakanta Ojha, 40, a quack practising at Kodala, 50km from here, died of suffocation after he used a kerosene generator set.

Inspector in charge of Kodala police station Karunakar Murmu said they rescued Kamalakanta, his sister-in-law Banita Kumari Ojha, 25, and daughter Sibani, 4, from their house at Court Road near Kodala bus stand by breaking open the doors around 10am yesterday.

“We found that they ran the set in a closed door. We had admitted them at Kodala hospital, and later at MKCG, as advised by doctors. But, Kamalakanta died today morning,” said Murmu.

In another incident, Bhairab Behera, 60, a farmer from Chelia near Randha at Sasanpadar panchayat in the Golanthara police station area in Ganjam district, committed suicide after incurring a huge loss due to Phailin.

“My father had recently borrowed private loans amounting Rs 20,000 and invested it in khariff crop cultivation. But, the cyclone damaged our paddy crops worth Rs 1 lakh and vegetable crops worth Rs 20,000. All the 30 bharan fields got inundated with water and he lost all hope,” said Ranjan, the youngest son of Bhairab.

Bhairab consumed pesticides at his home on October 19 and died at MKCG last night, Ranjan said.