15 people died because of coal stove and bad weather

More than 270 people were sick and 15 died of CO poisoning in Jilin Province, northeastern China, the local government announced yesterday. The reason is due to the combination of gas escaping from household coal stove and humid weather.

A CO poisoning woman is being treated at a hospital in Yanbian, Jilin, yesterday.

Of the sick, 32 had to be hospitalized with 8 critical cases. Of the 15 deaths, 7 were found dead in the house no one knew. This incident caused the police to knock on each door to check.

According to experts, the cause of this situation is because the atmospheric pressure in this region decreases abnormally, plus the increase in humidity and rainfall. This phenomenon has kept CO gas out of the coal stove near the non-dispersing ground but in a narrow space.

Local officials informed people about how to handle CO poisoning and asked not to use charcoal stoves and burn coal before going to bed. China is the world's largest coal consumer, mainly in rural areas, serving domestic and heating.

My Linh