Two women died and several others were hospitalised in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad after suspected toxic gas leaked from an underground fire zone within a Bharat Coking Coal Limited mining site, The Indian Express reported.

The deaths occurred on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning when they were being taken to the hospital.

Lalita Devi, 58, and Priyanka Devi, 44, were found unconscious in their homes, about 300 to 400 metres from the leak site. With their windows shut because of the cold, neighbours believe the gas entered through cracks in the ground, the newspaper reported.

At least seven to eight others who had fainted earlier in the week are being treated in hospitals.

The district administration has said it will form a committee to investigate the matter.

Residents of the Kenduad

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