Lagatar24 Desk
Kabul, Jan 18: At least 140 people were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning in Herat province on Tuesday, said officials. Amongst those hospitalised includes children and women.
“Within the past 24 hours, 130 to 140 patients have been brought to the emergency ward of the hospital,” said Ahmad Farhad Afzali, head of the hospital.
The residents said that due to the high cost of firewood and other basic amenities in the country, gas is the only option to heat their homes during the harsh winters.
“It was cold and my family turned on the gas. I would have lost 21 members of my family if I had arrived five minutes late,” said a Herat resident.
“We don’t have power, and therefore we are forced to use the gas. So far, two of my family members have died of carbon monoxide poisoning,” said another resident.
A sudden fall in temperature has severely affected people who are already hit hard by poverty and lack of food and fuel in the trouble-torn country. At least 16 people have been killed across four provinces due to cold.
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Meanwhile, the doctors warned that negligence in the use of gas could be deadly for families.
“The negligence of families causes carbon monoxide poisoning and it causes devastating incidents,” said Mohammad Daud Hashimi, a doctor at the hospital.
Some households use coal to heat their homes, which also causes carbon monoxide poisoning.
Since the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan, the country is in a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. Despite the aid, Afghanistan’s poverty, malnutrition and unemployment rates are still at their peak.
