Carbon monoxide poisoning has claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals in Algeria, according to the country’s emergency services. The precipitous drop in temperature has prompted many people to turn to makeshift heaters that produce harmful gases in order to stay warm. On Tuesday, the Algerian civil defense agency announced on its Facebook page that nine members of the same family had been found at their home in the city of Bou Saada, located approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Algiers. This included a married couple, their five children, and two relatives.
Carbon monoxide poisoning has claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals in Algeria, according to the country’s emergency services. The precipitous drop in temperature has prompted many people to turn to makeshift heaters that produce harmful gases in order to stay warm. On Tuesday, the Algerian civil defense agency announced on its Facebook page that nine members of the same family had been found at their home in the city of Bou Saada, located approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Algiers. This included a married couple, their five children, and two relatives. According to the news agency, a family of six was discovered dead in the province of Setif in the country’s north-eastern region. The parents and their four children had reportedly choked on fumes from their heater. According to the information provided by the agency, two further persons passed away as a result of suffocation in the city of Mostaganem located in the northwest of the country. The carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death in each and every case.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and possibly lethal gas that may be produced when natural gas or liquid fuels are used in heaters. These heaters have been increasingly popular in recent days across North Africa as temperatures have been dropping. Emergency services in Algeria issued a warning that carbon monoxide poisoning and death can be caused by a “lack of ventilation, improper assembly (of heaters), lack of maintenance, or the use of devices not meant for heating.”
