Citation

Meo MZS, Meo MOS, Meo AS. Pak. J. Med. Sci. Q. 2022; 38(8): e2386.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Professional Medical Publications)

DOI

10.12669/pjms.38.8.6936

PMID

36415277

PMCID

PMC9676622

Abstract

Murree is a hill town 30 km to the northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan. The city is on an average altitude of 2,300 meters. On Friday, January 7, 2022, an estimated 10,000 people with over 1,000 vehicles went to enjoy the weekend amidst the breezy snowy weather in Murree. However, heavy snowfall ended up blocking the roads - to the point that some of the cars were packed bumper-to-bumper, with snow piling onto their roofs. About 22 people died inside their vehicles after the snow left them stranded inside. Causes of death were severe cold and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning due to people leaving their car heaters on for too long. CO is an odourless, toxic gas formed due to partial combustion of hydrocarbons and fuel-burning, including wood, coal, natural gas, petroleum products, and petrol in motor vehicles. CO exposure during driving can occur due to defective exhaust systems, poor ventilation, and vehicle emissions. CO poisoning from petrol engine exhausts is a common accident and poisonings can be fatal. These unintentional CO poisonings witness an increase during the winter season...

Language: en