Father and two toddlers die from heater gas leak in village near Erbil

ERBIL — A father and his two young children died overnight from carbon monoxide poisoning after a heater filled their home with fumes in Gazna village on the outskirts of Erbil, while the children’s mother was hospitalized in critical condition, relatives said.

Family members discovered the victims after repeated attempts to reach them by phone failed. “We called them but there was no answer, so we became suspicious,” relative Farhan Mustafa told 964media. “We had to climb over the wall and enter the house, and when we saw them, all four had collapsed.”

The father, Kawa Rashid, 35, and his two sons — Mohammed Kawa, 3, and Ahmed Kawa, 4 — died at the scene. Their mother lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, where she remains under medical supervision. Mustafa said there were no signs of fire or burning, consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, which is odorless and colorless and leaves no visible marks.