The house where the incident occurred. Photo tienphong.vn

HÀ TĨNH — A carbon monoxide poisoning incident caused by burning coal for warmth in a rural village in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, claimed the lives of three people, including a two-day-old infant.

A leader of the Tân Thượng Village, Hồng Lộc Commune, Hồng Lộc Commune Police, said on Friday that at around 2am on Friday, the incident occurred at the home of Nguyễn Duy Thắng (born in 1966) and Chu Thị Ngụ (born in 1963).

Authorities and local officials quickly arrived at the scene and confirmed the victims were Thắng’s daughters, Nguyễn Thị V (born in 1999), Nguyễn Thị H (born in 2002) and the newborn child of Nguyễn Thị V.

Preliminary findings suggest the family had closed the room tightly and used a coal stove for heating while sleeping, leading to a buildup of carbon monoxide that caused fatal suffocation.

The family is known to be in difficult circumstances.

Following the tragedy, the Hồng Lộc Commune Women’s Union has called on benefactors to support the victims’ family.

Local authorities, residents and relatives are currently organising funeral services and offering condolences and assistance.

Functional forces are continuing to monitor the situation and raise public awareness, urging people not to use coal for heating indoors, to ensure fire and explosion prevention during cold weather and to maintain public safety and order in the area. — VNS