STA, 7 December 2020 - A poisoning incident took place in a village close to Nova Gorica in the West on Sunday evening. Urgent assistance was provided to a couple of German citizens who had been victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. The 61-year old woman and 66-year-old man were transferred to the nearby hospital and their condition is reportedly stable.
The pair's neighbour was the first person to arrive at the scene of the accident, having heard the woman's cry for help.
Upon his arrival, the woman was still conscious, however the man was unconscious. The neighbour immediately dialled the emergency number, the Nova Gorica Police Department said on Monday.
The German couple had been renovating their house in the Grgarske Ravne village and had an electricity generator turned on on the ground floor.
Local firefighters gauged the amount of carbon monoxide particles in the air and determined the level was three times the standard quantity. The house was then aired.
The police are to investigate the circumstances of the incident today.
Every year, during the heating season, the police deal with a number of carbon monoxide poisoning cases. The most common source of such accidents is incorrect handling of heaters or poor maintenance.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which is all the more dangerous because it has no smell or taste.
In case of carbon monoxide or CO2 poisoning, the victim should be removed from the contaminated area as soon as possible and the premises should be aired out.
