Senior citizen couple chokes to death after pest control at home

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A senior citizen couple choked to death at their residence in Pune after they inhaled harmful gases, following a pest control service at their home on February 11.

According to the police, the deceased have been identified as Aparna Majali, 54, and Avinash Majali, 64, a report in Mumbai Mirror read. The couple had availed a pest control service on February 11 in the morning. The duo went to their relative's place to spend the day and returned home around 7pm, while the harmful gases had still not diffused.

The couple did not suspect anything and settled down in front of the television. However, they did not open the windows or switch on the fan and inhaled inhaling the harmful gases. Their health then started deteriorating. When their daughter returned home at 7:30pm, she saw that her father had fainted and her mother was breathing heavily. She asked the neighbours to help and rushed the couple to Chintamani hospital adjacent to their house. The medical staff suggested that the patients be shifted to Sahyadri Hospital, which was a kilometre away.

Owing to heavy traffic, the couple took nearly 45 minutes to reach the hospital which would have otherwise taken 5 minutes. The couple was declared dead on arrival when they finally reached the hospital. The couple's neighbour was quoted as saying the report, "We did get some strong smell coming from their house but did not think much of it. It was only when we heard screams and shouts for help and after their daughter banged on our door for aid did we realise that something was wrong."

A medical case has been registered and investigation in the matter is underway.

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