Police said in a statement that a couple found dead on Tuesday in a house in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano had been using a charcoal stove to keep warm and died from breathing in carbon monoxide.
When coal is burned, it emits poisonous carbon monoxide, which can be fatal if inhaled for an extended period of time, especially in places with inadequate ventilation.
“When our officers arrived on the scene, they discovered the couple motionless and an odor from charcoal, indicating they used it to keep warm from the harmattan cold,” according to the statement.
The harmattan season lasts from November to mid-March.
It is distinguished by dry and dusty north-easterly winds blowing from the Sahara desert. This causes cold weather in some areas.
