It is a tragedy that affects several families in Algeria. With the drop in temperatures, households have used heaters, exposing themselves to the dangers of carbon monoxide. The toxic gas killed 17 people in 24 hours, Civil Protection announced on Tuesday.
In Boussaada, some 250 km south of Algiers, nine people from the same family were found dead Monday evening at their home, according to publications by this source on his Facebook page. The victims are a couple, their five children and two relatives.
Similarly, in Ain Oulmane, in the prefecture of Sétif (north-east), a couple and their four children were discovered in the night from Monday to Tuesday, intoxicated in the same way. The victims died after breathing in toxic fumes from their heater, Civil Protection said. Two other people died of asphyxiation by gas fumes Monday evening in Mostaganem (north-west), according to the same source.
“Dreadful” gas
The drop in temperatures recorded in recent days in Algeria has prompted residents to resort more to heating appliances, often running on gas or fuel oil, thus exposing themselves to the dangers of carbon monoxide, despite warnings from firefighters. Carbon monoxide is a “dreadful, invisible, odorless and non-irritating” toxic gas that is the cause of several deaths, warned Civil Protection.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is often caused by “errors in safety prevention, lack of ventilation, poor assembly, lack of maintenance, or the use of certain devices that are not intended for heating,” she said.