Keonjhar: Two 20-year-old youths died and three others fell critically ill after allegedly inhaling fumes from a generator inside a closed room at Sudung village in Banspal block of Keonjhar district. The deceased were identified as Nitu Saunti and Rajendra Saunti, both from Sudung. The three others who fell ill are Jaga Giri, Prashant Dehury and Nira Das Behera.Sources said Laxmi Puja was being celebrated in the village. As power cuts are common in the area at night, the puja committee had hired a generator to illuminate the pandal. After the power supply was disrupted on Monday night, the generator was operated to provide lighting. Later, it was kept inside a room. Five youths from the puja committee reportedly slept in the same room with the doors and windows closed while keeping watch over the pandal.On Tuesday morning, villagers opened the room and found all five youths unconscious. The villagers rushed them to Banspal community health centre, where doctors declared two of them dead. The other three were given initial treatment before being shifted to Dharanidhar medical college and hospital.Police suspect that generator fumes accumulated inside the poorly ventilated room, leading to suffocation. The exact cause of the deaths is subject to further investigation. On receiving information, Nayakote police launched an investigation, and a case has been registered at Nayakote police station and further inquiry is in progress. “The three unwell persons are undergoing treatment,” said the IIC of Nayakot police station, Alok Ranjan Parida.