Two shop workers found dead, two unconscious, suspected of generator fume poisoning during Sumut blackout

Two employees of a mobile phone accessory store were found dead in their shop in Batubara, North Sumatra, Indonesia, during a massive power outage that affected the entire region. Authorities suspect the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator used during the blackout.

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However, upon arriving at the location, the condition of the shop house was still tightly closed and there was no response from inside.

The tragic incident occurred at the Indrapura ACC shop in Indrapura village. The discovery was made around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday when a colleague arrived to open the store. Finding the shop tightly shut and receiving no response from within, the colleague, along with concerned residents, forced entry.

Inside, four individuals were found in a critical state. Two were confirmed dead, identified by their initials as RR (24) from Tebing Tinggi City and AA (22) from Serdang Bedagai Regency. The other two, M (22) and DCA (17), were found unconscious and immediately transported to the Bidadari Regional General Hospital for medical attention.

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After the door was successfully opened, four people were found in the room in a dire condition. Two victims were found dead, while two others were unconscious.

Police are investigating the exact cause of death, but preliminary findings point to poisoning from the generator fumes. The widespread power outage, which began Friday evening, impacted various aspects of daily life across North Sumatra. The blackout was reportedly caused by damage to a 275 kV transmission line in Jambi province due to severe weather, affecting the interconnected power system across Sumatra.

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The four victims have been evacuated to RSUD Bidadari. Currently, officers are still investigating to ascertain the exact cause of the incident. However, the preliminary suspicion points to poisoning from the generator fumes used during the power outage.