KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two newlywed couples have died in separate incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning in Ghazni province over the past two days, the Taliban’s provincial security command said on Sunday.
In a statement, the security command said the first incident took place on Saturday night in the village of Nani in Andar district. The couple, who had recently married, were using a gas heater to warm their room. According to the command, they had placed a pot of water on the heater, which later boiled over and spilled onto it, causing the heater to go out and gas to spread inside the enclosed space. Both individuals died after inhaling carbon monoxide.
In a separate incident on Friday night, another young couple died under similar circumstances in the Pashtunabad area of Ghazni city, the provincial capital, the statement said.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can build up quickly in poorly ventilated spaces, making it particularly dangerous. Health officials say incidents of gas poisoning increase during the winter months, when temperatures drop sharply, and households rely on basic heating equipment.
Many families across Afghanistan use gas or coal heaters to warm their homes, driven by harsh winter conditions and the high cost or limited availability of firewood and electricity. In homes with limited ventilation, these heaters can release carbon monoxide, leading to serious poisoning and, in some cases, death.
Such incidents are reported every year across Afghanistan. Last winter, the Taliban said at least 24 people, including nine women, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, while nearly 900 cases of poisoning were reported nationwide during the same period.
