Indian dies from heater fumes in Saudi Arabia

Two expatriates, including an Indian national, died after breathing toxic gases from a coal-burning heater in the Ha'il province of Saudi Arabia.

While the Indian, 28, and the Sri Lankan, 34 died after inhaling the toxic fumes, another man, a Sri Lankan labourer, was critically injured, the Arab News reported Tuesday.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the men died after breathing the toxic gases from the heater's smouldering coal, which they used to keep themselves warm.

The men were sleeping in a tightly shut room in a building close to the Jarallah Market in Ha'il, the capital of Ha'il province.

Civil defence personnel said severe cold in the region drives poor people to use cheap and often risky methods to keep themselves warm.