Mumbai: Two Indian students hailing from Maharashtra who were studying medicine in Smolensk State Medical University in Russia died out of suffocation after they were trapped in their room when a fire broke out in their hostel on Sunday.
According to the university sources, the parents of two girls and the Indian embassy have been informed of the tragedy and their bodies will be sent back to India after the post-mortem reports.
The source added that as per the preliminary report by the Smolensk region department of the Russian Investigative Committee, the fire broke out at the fourth floor of the six-floor dormitory of the university in the morning on February 14. The two students namely Puhja Kallur from Navi Mumbai and Karishma Bhosale from Pune were roommates and were trapped in their room on the same floor. Both the girls were fourth year students of the MBBS course.
“After the fire was brought under control, the firefighters went through the rooms and found the bodies of both the girls. The cause of death was shown as death due to suffocation, but it will be confirmed only after the post mortem reports are received,” said the source.
External affairs minster, Sushma Swaraj conveyed her condolences late Monday night.
