Six members of one family, including children 11, 9, 8 and 6 years old, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Dushanbe on the night of February 27-28.

The Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan says the tragedy the tragedy occurred in a private home in Dushanbe’s Firdavsi district (28/1 Gravzavod).  

The deceased father of the family was 38 years old, the mother was 37 years old and the children were 11, 9, 8 and 6 years old.

Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee says the family heated their home with a coal-powered stove. 

The family was found by neighbors who reported to the relevant authorities, the spokeswoman added. 

Burning coal inside the home for the purposes of heating or cooking produces particulate and gas emissions that may contain a number of harmful chemicals, such as benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.