Jeddah: In less than a month, another young Indian expatriate died while trying to warm himself with a heater to combat the chilly winter in Saudi Arabia.
The usage of heaters is high during the winter season in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the gulf region where majority of deaths occur as result of suffocation caused by fire mishaps.
28 years old, Abdul Zaheer native of Nirmal district who was working in Riyadh died as result of suffocation that was caused by fire mishap from heater while sleeping on Sunday.
Abdul Zaheer was working as a driver with a Saudi family and living in Malaz area in the capital. He had escaped death a few months ago when he was travelling to Riyadh following Umrah. His father passed away recently back home in India following cancer.
The only breadwinner of the family, Zaheer had died tragically as a result of inhaling smoke from the fire that ignited the heater.
The community workers Abdul Rafiq and Muzammil Shaikh are working to complete legal formalities on behalf of the victim’s family.
Earlier, a younger man from Tamil Nadu also died in Riyadh in similar circumstances.
The smoke is the silent killer in fire accidents and risk increases while sleeping as the victim does not feel the smoke till choking becomes intense. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a colorless, odorless, and toxic gas. Room heaters fueled with gas, oil, and kerosene produce it; CO can accumulate to dangerous levels. Though the briquettes do not produce visible smoke and seem to be harmless, it contains poisonous gas within, which works in shadows to cause death.
The average 7 million heaters used during the winter season in Saudi Arabia operate about 45 hours according to a study report.
The civil defense authorities repeatedly caution people about safety and preventive measures with heaters during the winter.
