ULAN BATOR, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 97 others had received medical assistance in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Mongolia in 13 days, the country's National Center for Public Health reported Friday.
During the Oct. 14-27 period, Mongolia's National Center for Public Health received a report that four people lost their lives in a house and a traditional round-shaped dwelling, known as a ger across Mongolia, when they were sleeping.
A preliminary investigation indicated the deaths may have been caused by smoke leaking from stove chimneys.
Mongolia, the world's most sparsely populated country, faces acute housing challenges, particularly in Ulan Bator, home to more than half of its 3.5 million citizens.
Over half of the capital's residents live in ger districts, where homes often lack running water, central heating, and sewerage systems, making coal- and wood-burning stoves a common but hazardous source of heat. ■
