Koronivia Woman Dies From Burns

Brothers Shiu Kumar and Ronald Lal of Koronivia forced open the door to the house their sister was living in as she called for help on Sunday.

The brothers discovered that their sister, Sonam Lal, 31, was on fire. Next to her were an empty gallon and a gas lighter.

Shiu Kumar, 26, said they tried to douse the fire with blankets and then threw water on her.

“It was around 11.30am on Sunday when we heard Sonam shouting from the house down below. We took her to hospital after we brought her out,” he said.

“By Sunday afternoon, she had lost her life at the hospital.”

Circumstances surrounding her death are unclear as Police continue their investigation.

Sonam’s mother Indra Wati said her daughter had been having problems with her husband.

“She would come and stay with us, sometimes for days, sometimes for months. That is why we had built her a house.

Sonam’s older brother Ronald Lal said a Police report was made and a domestic violence restraining order was issued.

He said Sonam and her five children had been staying in the house built next to their family home.

He said the couple were engaged in a court battle regarding the dissolution of their marriage, however things seemed to have changed when his brother-in-law moved in on Wednesday with his sister.

“I was told that they had decided to solve things and my sister had pulled out of the court case.

“On Saturday, my sister sent her children to her in-laws’ place because it was raining heavily and there were chances of a flood,” he said.

“On Sunday, as soon as my brother-in-law left, we heard our sister screaming.”

Police had cordoned off the house where the woman was found to have been on fire.

Edited by Ivamere Nataro

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