5 dead, 7 hospitalised in suspected carbon monoxide leak in Italy

IANS File Photo

IANS File Photo

ROME, JANUARY 17 (IANS): At least five people died and seven others hospitalised in critical condition in what rescuers said was a probable case of carbon monoxide poisoning at a rest home near Rome, the Italian National Fire Department said.

The rest home, called Villa Diamanti, is located in the town of Lanuvio, south of Rome, the Lazio Public Health Service said in a statement on Saturday.

"The five deceased were all rest home residents aged between 80 and 99 years," Xinhua news agency quoted the Service as saying in the statement.

It added that all seven of the hospitalized present "symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning".

The seven hospitalised patients comprise five rest home residents and two staffers, the Lazio Public Health Service confirmed.

Lazio is a region in central Italy where Rome is located.