Biju Janata Dal Leader, Two Others Die In Fire Accident In Odisha

A BJD leader and two others died of suspected asphyxiation after a fire broke out in his house in Odisha's Ganjam district on Friday, police said.

The three including BJD leader Alekh Choudhury (69), a former President of Berhampur Central Cooperative Bank Ltd, were asleep in the house at Gosaninuagaon, when an air- conditioner caught fire due to an electric short circuit in the early hours, they said.

The victims, trapped inside the smoke-filled house, were rescued and rushed to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, a senior police officer said.