Two youths were found dead inside a parked caravan vehicle in northern Kerala in the late hours of Monday. Kerala police suspect leakage of poisonous gas from the air-conditioner could have led to their death.
According to Vadakara police, the deceased were identified as Manoj, hailing from Malappuram, and Joel from Kasargod. The duo were staff of a caravan tourism company in Ponnani, Kerala and were returning to their office after attending a wedding event in Thalassery on Sunday.
Passerby public noticed the vehicle parked on the roadside for over two days and found the duo lying unconscious inside the vehicle. Residents in the area immediately alerted police on Monday evening.
"We received a call around 8.45pm about a caravan parked near the KTDC building. Upon arriving and investigating, we found the two men dead inside," said a police officer to OnManorama. On checks, police found one body lying on the steps of the vehicle and another body was found inside the caravan. Police recovered the bodies and they were sent for autopsy.
According to police, investigation is progressing and forensic teams, fingerprint experts, and dog squad are conducting examinations at the scene. “No suspicious evidence has been found so far, and further details can only be provided after the post-mortem procedures," a senior police officer told PTI. “There are no eyewitnesses. Services from forensic and other scientific expert teams have been sought, and only after their analysis can any conclusions be drawn," the officer added.
Though police suspect inhalation of poisonous carbon monoxide gas could have led to their deaths, there is no confirmation yet. As per preliminary probe, the deceased could have inhaled carbon monoxide after the vehicle's air conditioning system stopped functioning. The AC in the vehicle was running on power from UPS after the engine was turned off.