Two Indian medical students from Maharashtra die in Russia fire

Mumbai: Two girls from Maharashtra who were studying medicine in the Smolensk State Medical University in Russia died due to suffocation after they were trapped in their room when a fire broke out in their hostel on Sunday. According to sources in the university, the parents of the 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 report is received.

Speaking about two students, the source said 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.

“We have lost two Indian girl students (both from Maharashtra) studying at Smolensk Medical Academy in Russia in a fire accident,” minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj tweeted late Monday night. “Their mortal remains will reach Moscow tomorrow. We will fly their mortal remains to Mumbai...” she added.