MAHENDRANAGAR: The relatives of the deceased Sunil Parki (8), of Bhimdatta Municipality, accused that the child had died due to the negligence of the doctors at Mahakali Zonal Hospital, Kanchanpur.

Sunil died this morning while undergoing treatment at the hospital. The child was admitted yesterday.

According to the kin of the deceased, Sunil died when the oxygen apparatus exploded. Seeking action against the guilty, they have refused to receive the body.

The hospital, however, maintained that the child died of a snakebite.

Dr RB Chaudhari, acting chief of the hospital, said, "There is no link of the explosion with the death of the child."

Dr Chaudhari, refuting the charge, said there was no change in the child’s conditoin after the explosion. The child was administered oxygen following respiratory complications. Dr Chaudhari claimed that the child had the symptoms of snakebite and was taken to the hospital too late. The hospital declared his dead at 10.50 am today.

Shivaram Parki,Sunil's uncle, said the hospital's claim was not convincing.

Shivaram said, "A person who didn't belong to the hospital used the machine so it exploded." Tulasi Paneru, an ambulance driver, had set the apparatus as there was no other person skilled at the task at that time.