Nadapuram: A mother and son duo who helped avert a major LPG disaster were honoured by the local community. The timely alertness of Junaid (28) of Palliprakkandiyil and his mother Asiya is being credited with saving the area from a potential catastrophe.

The incident occurred late at night when Junaid, returning to his home in Kacheri after work from Kummankode, noticed a strong smell of cooking gas emanating from the nearby Kalyani Tea Stall, an eatery located close to the Balavadi. Unsure whom to alert at that hour, he returned home and informed his mother. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Asiya immediately asked him to go back and confirm the source of the leak.

Junaid returned to the tea stall along with a friend and found the pungent gas smell still lingering in the area. They alerted nearby residents and later contacted the shop owner, Kunjyekkan, who arrived around 2 am and opened the shop. It was then discovered that cooking gas was leaking from a stove connected to a large cylinder inside the shop.

Junaid was honoured at a felicitation function held at the Kacheri Public Library, where Taluk Vice President of the Library Council P M Nanu presented him with a memento. Junaid, son of Shoukkathali of Palliprakkandi, works online for a Dubai based firm and is currently based in Kummankode town.