The elderly woman died Friday November 22, 2024 in the village of Ussy (Calvados), deprived of electricity by recent bad weather. The gendarmerie confirms carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by auxiliary heating. A second woman was taken to hospital, her life is not in danger.
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On the afternoon of Friday November 22, 2024, an 85-year-old woman was found dead in her home by a member of her family, in the small village of Ussy, in Calvados. The results of the investigation carried out by the gendarmerie confirm the initial suspicions: his death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
She had in fact installed additional heating next to her, following the power cuts from which part of the town was still suffering after the passage of the Caetano storm.
A common practice but which can prove fatal because auxiliary heaters are designed for brief and intermittent use, in well-ventilated rooms.
Another 72-year-old woman was staying in the same house, she was found alive by the relative who came to visit her family members. “She had felt unwell and fell, but she was woken up by the person who knocked on the door and opened it for her.“, reports the gendarmerie.
This second woman was taken to the Falaise hospital center, but her life is not in danger.
Two other people were found unconscious at home due to carbon monoxide inhalation the same evening, in Souleuvre en Bocage, near Vire-Normandie (Calvados). Both survived the poisoning.
The gendarmerie points out the dangers of using non-electric heating without sufficient ventilation. Caution is required because “we quickly get surprised” by this colorless, odorless and invisible gas.
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