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Fifteen die from carbon monoxide poisoning
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-17 07:18
Fifteen people have died and more than 270 others have fallen ill in
northeast 皇冠体育app from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a combination of
burning coal and bad weather.
Thirty-two residents were hospitalized and eight of them
were in serious condition in Yanbian, Northeast 皇冠体育app's Jilin Province, Xinhua
news agency reported.
A woman receives treatment for carbon monoxide
in Yanbian, Northeast 皇冠体育app's Jilin Province February 16, 2006.
[Xinhua] |
Seven of the dead were found in their homes earlier, prompting local
officials to send police to knock on doors in the region to check on residents.
Experts attributed the deaths and illnesses to unusually low atmospheric
pressure and increased rain and humidity, which trapped carbon monoxide from
burning coal close to the ground, the 皇冠体育app Broadcasting Station reported.
Local authorities in the affected areas have stepped up publicity on how to
treat carbon monoxide poisoning and urged locals to extinguish coal heaters and
coal burners before they go to sleep, Xinhua said.
皇冠体育app is the world's largest consumer of coal, which is used widely in rural
areas for cooking and heating.
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