Two best friends die from carbon dioxide poisoning

KOTA KINABALU - A man and woman who were reportedly trapped in a storeroom in an abandoned building in Likas on Wednesday are believed to have died from inhaling carbon dioxide gas.

The two victims aged 43, were trapped in the storage room of the carbon dioxide tanks and were also said to be looking for cables and iron in the area.

Kota Kinabalu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the two victims were close friends who went out looking for cables and iron to sell.

He said the police received a report about the incident at about 9.30am where both victims were unconscious while the door of the room was closed.

"According to the witness' testimony, the female victim lives in the same house as him and both are his acquaintances.

"According to the information received, the two victims are good friends.

"Witnesses informed that at 2am (Wednesday), the two victims said that they went to the abandoned building to look for cables and iron to sell," he said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the witness had also taken care of the victim's child but after half an hour, the child started crying which led him to call the victim.

"However, their mobile phones were unreachable and the witness who was worried that something had happened went to the building with a friend to look for the two victims.

"The two victims were eventually found unconscious in a locked gas can storage room and he immediately went to the Likas police station to get help," he said.

Zaidi said following the incident, the Fire and Rescue Department was also called to open the door of the room.

"The bodies of the two victims were also sent to the Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQEI) for further action.

"The results of the investigation confirmed that the two victims likely died due to inhaling carbon dioxide gas.

"Investigations at the scene also did not reveal any signs of a criminal act that could be linked to the death of the two victims and the case was classified as a sudden death," he said.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the two victims were found unconscious after being trapped in the store room.