A woman sleeping in the kitchen of a suspected illegal inn in Nape most probably died of carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday, a Judiciary Police (PJ) statement said.
The woman was pronounced dead after being taken to the private Kiang Wu Hospital for emergency treatment, according to the Judiciary Police.
The police identified the deceased as a 68-year-old mainlander, surnamed Dong.
The statement said that at about 10 a.m. yesterday, the victim’s daughter who was staying in the same illegal inn, discovered her mother unconscious in bed in the kitchen which had been turned into a bedroom, in a residential building in Rua de Berlim.
The Judiciary Police investigated the flat, suspecting that it’s an illegal inn.
The woman was sleeping in the kitchen-cum-bedroom where the flat’s liquefied petroleum gas water heater is situated. The daughter said that when she went into the room, both the door and window were closed.
Fire fighters investigated the room and confirmed that the door and window were closed at the time of the incident, resulting in accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Thus, the victim is believed to have died of inhaling excessive amounts of carbon monoxide.
According to a preliminary examination of the body, no suspicious wounds were found.
The exact cause of death is to be determined after an official autopsy has been performed.
Without odour or colour, carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning, also called CO poisoning, can cause sudden illness and death.
Pursuant to the law on Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation, a person who provides illegal accommodation can be fined from 200,000 patacas to 800,000 patacas per unit. Furthermore, a person who arranges people to stay in an illegal inn can be fined from 20,000 patacas to 100,000 patacas.
