BETTIAH, Dec. 28 -- An elderly woman and three children died of asphyxiation, while four others fell unconscious after allegedly inhaling toxic gas emanating from a fire, or brazier, lit beat cold at a village in Bihar's Saran district late on Friday night In a separate incident, a 75-year-old man and a cow were charred to death at Madhubani village under the Phenhara police station area of East Champaran district after his hut caught fire from homefire. In Saran, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and newly promoted Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Dr Kumar Ashish said the victims were sleeping in a room close to a homefire at Ambika Bhawani Colony under the Bhagwanpur Bazaar police station area on Friday night. "Prima facie, it appears that all the deaths were caused due to asphyxiation. We have requisitioned a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team to assist in the investigation," the SSP said. The incident came to light around 7.30 am on Saturday when a family member found eight occupants of the house lying unconscious inside a room. "We grew suspicious when none of the eight occupants responded to our calls. We were shocked to find all of them lying unconscious in the room," said Rakesh Kumar, a relative of the victims. A wave of panic gripped the colony as locals rushed the victims to Sadar Hospital in Chapra. At the hospital, the attending doctor, Dr Santosh Kumar, said three children and an elderly woman were brought dead, while four adults were admitted and are undergoing treatment. "One of the victims is in a critical condition," the doctor said. The deceased were identified as Tejansh Kumar (3), son of Vijay Kumar; Gudiya Kumari (nine months), daughter of Vijay Kumar; Kamalawati Devi (70), wife of late Ram Lakhan Singh; and Adya Kumari (seven months), daughter of Deepak Kumar. Those undergoing treatment include Amrita Kumar (35), wife of Sanjay Kumar; Amit Kumar alias Sonu (35), son of late Ram Lakhan Singh; Arya Singh (24), wife of Deepak Singh; and Amisha Singh (25), wife of Vijay Kumar Singh. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sadar-1 Rampukar Singh said circumstantial evidence suggests the tragedy was caused by toxic fumes. "One of the children in the family was unwell. They had lit a bhusa angithi (husk-fired brazier) inside the room and went to sleep, which likely led to the accumulation of toxic fumes," the ASP said. A thorough probe has been launched into it....