CHENNAI: A 50 year old woman and her teenage daughter were killed in a case of suspected asphyxiation after the air conditioning unit in their bedroom in their house in Ambattur burst due to alleged short circuit, during the early hours of Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Hasina Begum (50) and her daughter, Nasrith Begum (18).

Police said that Akila is a widow. Her husband, Rahmath had died a few years ago after which Hasina took up a job as a helper in a private school and lived with her daughter at a rented house in Ekambaram Nagar, Menambedu near Ambattur.

Nasrith was studying class 11 at a private school in the neighbourhood.

Around 4 am, passerby noticed thick smoke emanating from the house and alerted the house owner, Zakir Hussain who informed the police and fire and rescue service.

Rescue personnel broke into the house and secured the woman and her daughter who were lying unconscious.

The duo were moved to a hospital where they were discussed as brought dead. Preliminary investigations revealed that the air conditioning unit in their house had caught fire which led to the smoke.

"There were power fluctuations in the neighbourhood since Friday. The AC too seemed like it was not serviced for a long time. When rescue personnel secured the two persons, the AC unit was found to be damaged, " a police officer said.

Ambattur police have registered a case and are investigating.