A FAMILY of four that survived a car crash last year were found dead in their Melbourne home in Australia on Tuesday.
Nilesh Sharma, 34, his wife, Pritika, 32 were former Fiji residents who had migrated to Australia four years ago. Their children, son Divesh, 8 and daughter Divya, 4 were also found in the Glen Waverly suburb residence. A relative of the family, Abhay Singh, told the Herald Sun that he believed the family had died from a leaking gas tank.
"It's a mystery," he told the Herald Sun. The Age said the family had survived a car crash in the Dandeonong Ranges last year, when a motorcyclist pulled them from their burning car. Mr Singh told the news agency that the family had recently attended a birthday party and all seemed well. The Age reported that police arrived at the scene at about 11am after receiving a call from someone concerned about the welfare of the family.
The circumstances of the death was still being investigated, a Victoria Police spokeswoman told the newspaper. Mr Singh told the Herald Sun that Nilesh was an accountant and that Pritika was also a professional. "The kids were very amicable, well mannered, polite and well presented," he said.
"We are all devastated. Very shaken ùp as a whole family is destroyed." The Age also interviewed the police chaplain, Jim Palmer who said the family were Hindus and that he was trying to organise appropriate support for relatives.