Teen Dies After Water Heater Emits Poisonous Gas While She Was Taking Bath

A teenage girl died from carbon monoxide poisoning after she accidentally inhaled the gas emitted by a water heater while taking a shower. The incident took place in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

The victim, identified as 15-year-old Dhruvi Gohil, was taking a shower early morning at her home on Jan.5 when she lost consciousness due to the poisonous gas being emitted by the heater.

Upon realizing that the teen hadn’t returned from the shower after a long time, the girl's parents got worried and knocked on the door. But there was no response from their daughter, and they broke through the door only to find her lying unconscious in the shower with serious burns on her body from the hot water.

"Finally, the parents broke the door and found the girl in an unconscious state. The right part of her body was scalded by the hot water," an officer said.

The teen was then immediately taken to a nearby hospital where she was put on a ventilator. Doctors said she had lost consciousness after inhaling the poisonous gas.

“The girl became unconscious after inhaling the poisonous carbon monoxide emitted by the geyser. The dearth of oxygen in the bathroom affected her brain and caused convulsions," said Dr. Vivek Chaurasia of Mangalmoorti Hospital.

Water heaters that run on natural gas have become popular in several Indian cities as they are cost-effective and heat water quickly. However, if the required safety measures aren’t followed, they can lead to hazardous situations like the one that killed Gohil. The geysers can release poisonous gases like carbon monoxide as a result of incomplete combustion or lack of sufficient ventilation systems when they're placed in stuffy bathrooms.

Despite the efforts by the doctors, the girl succumbed to her injuries at the hospital on Jan.10, which also happened to be her birthday.