Nigeria couple die from carbon monoxide poisoning

A couple found dead on Tuesday in a house in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano had been using a charcoal stove to keep warm and died from breathing in carbon monoxide, police said in a statement.

When burnt coal, among other gases, produces poisonous carbon monoxide which when inhaled over a prolonged period, especially in places without proper ventilation, can be fatal.

“When our officers visited the scene they found the couple motionless and also odour from charcoal which suggests they used it to keep warm from the harmattan cold,” the statement said.

The harmattan season runs between November and mid-March.

It is characterised by dry and dusty north-easterly winds which blow from the Sahara desert. In some places this results in cold weather.

By BBC