Qazi Mizan: Five members of a family, including a nine-month-old male infant, were found dead at their home in Indian southern Karnatka state

The bodies were discovered from their residence in the Bengaluru city’s Thigalarapalya area while two-and-a-half-year-old girl child has barely survived the trauma and is undergoing treatment, police said.

The incident came to light when the head of the family, Hallegere Shankar, who was away, came home after four days, as his repeated calls to family members had gone unanswered. The deceased are Shankar’s wife Bharathi (51), daughters, Sinchana, (34), Sindhurani (31), son Madhusagar (25) and nine-month-old grandson.

The four adults were found hanging from the ceiling in different rooms while the infant was lying on the bed and might have died of starvation, officials said, adding that the bodies were in a heavily decomposed state.

Police have rescued Sinchana’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who was found in a state of unconsciousness, due to starvation, and termed her survival as “miracle”.

Meanwhile, seven girls aged between 12 and 20 years drowned in a pond at Latehar district of in Jharkhand state, officials said.

The tragedy occurred at Bukru village within Balumath police station limits when the girls had gone to the pond for immersion after Hindus Karma Puja, a major festival in Jharkhand, Deputy Commissioner Abu Imran said.

Rescue teams were rushed to the scene. Some people were also injured and three of them were hospitalised. The Deputy Development Commissioner of the district has been asked to hold an inquiry, Imran said. Karma is a major festival in Jharkhand related to worship of Mother Nature.