Overview

• On July 11 around 5 p.m. in Polpully, Palakkad district, a parked Maruti Suzuki 800 erupted in flames moments after its ignition was turned on
• Six-year-old Alfred Martin and four-year-old Emily Martin succumbed to severe burn injuries at Jubilee Mission Medical College Hospital in Thrissur
• Their mother, 40-year-old nurse Elsy Martin, and 10-year-old sister Aleena continue to receive critical care at a specialized burn unit in Ernakulam
• Local residents rushed to the scene to pull the family from the burning vehicle and first aided them at Paalana Hospital before transfers to higher-level facilities
• Chittoor police officers and the Motor Vehicles Department are examining hypotheses of petrol leakage or a gas cylinder ignition in the aging, unused vehicle