Maid who burnt coal at Sharjah home dies

An Indonesian maid died after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide gas from the combustion of coal in the room in Nouf area on Friday. Her compatriot is fighting for her life in hospital, according to Sharjah Police.

Following an alert, when police rushed to the site they found burning coal in the room. According to a police spokesperson, the duo might have lit the coal before going to bed to beat the cold weather. The room had no ventilation.

Sharjah Police have called upon residents not to light coal in their homes as it could prove fatal. They also warned public from sleeping in their vehicles with the windows closed.

The body of the 31-year-old has been transferred to Al Qasimi Hospital. The 36-year-old is battling for her life at the same hospital.

Colonel  Dr Abdul Kader Al Amiri, Director, Forensic Laboratory, Sharjah Police, said initial investigations point to the fact that the dup inhaled poisonous carbon monoxide gas that results from a combustion of organic materials like timber or petroleum products.

“The result of such inhalation is fatal especially in their case where there was no oxygen in the closed room,” he said.

Explaining further, he added that carbon monoxide is a silent killer as it has no odour or colour or taste and, therefore, it can’t be detected easily by the victims.

Once inhaled, carbon monoxide would take on a high concentration in the blood, overtaking oxygen by over 250-300 times, thereby blocking vital body functions like respiration and the nervous system.

He said that the gas concentration of about 40-70 per cent in the body would cause severe fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision and difficulties in breathing or heart function while higher concentrations above 70 per cent would cause convulsions, fainting and death.

Asian maid beaten to death by Kuwait employer

A Kuwaiti man used a stick to beat his Asian housemaid to death just after she was brought into the wealthy Gulf emirate to work for a local

family.

Doctors suspected the maid had been beaten when she was brought in serious condition to hospital in Kuwait City although her employer said she was ill.

“Doctors told the police that the maid died because she had been beaten as she had no health problems,” the Arabic language daily Al Watan said.

“When they questioned her employer, he confessed to have beaten her with a stick on the grounds she refused to work for him.”

 

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