A six-year-old boy and a young woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning in separate incidents in Guangdong on Sunday after boiling white vinegar on coal stoves.
A woman and her six-year-old son in Yanbu, in the Nanhai district of Foshan city, were found unconscious in bed on Monday morning by the woman's daughter. The boy later died in hospital and the woman was still unconscious yesterday.
According to the China News Service, the woman boiled white vinegar on a coal stove in her room while the windows were shut.
A similar incident happened to an 18-year-old woman on the same night, also in Nanhai. Her body was discovered by her sister on Monday morning. White vinegar and a coal stove were found in her room.
Police have confirmed the two deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
The authorities urged the public to ensure there was sufficient ventilation when boiling vinegar and to avoid using coal when they warmed the vinegar.