UK couple dies in camper van due to gas heater

A married couple has died in Britain due to carbon monoxide poisoning after using a gas heater inside a camper van. Christopher Cole, 45, and Keely Cole, 38, residents of Blandford Forum in Dorset, died in this manner. The incident occurred on October 12 last year while they were participating as exhibitors at the New Forest Cider Festival.

Separate investigations into these deaths were conducted at Winchester Coroner's Court, where it was revealed that the couple, a business owner and a trained accountant, were staying in a field reserved for exhibitors at the festival grounds. When they failed to appear at their trade stall in the morning, their bodies were discovered by fellow exhibitor Alexander Huxley.

He stated that upon opening the door to check on them, he immediately noticed a strong smell of gas and, seeing a gas heater connected to a canister, he became frightened and turned back. A post-mortem examination of the heater revealed that it was not securely attached to the gas cylinder and a gas leak had occurred.

Howard Jonas of Flogas, who gave evidence at the inquest, stated that parabolic heaters should only be used outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces. Hampshire Area Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said that these deaths could not be concluded as accidental, but rather as a deliberate act that led to a completely unexpected outcome. However, she concluded it as a misadventure.

She raised προβλημα (problems) about whether these devices contained a safety warning stating that they cannot be used in enclosed spaces. She stated that she would contact the manufacturers to check if such a warning exists on the device itself to prevent future deaths, and expressed her sorrow, calling the death of the young couple an absolute tragedy.

The coroner further stated that the smell of butane gas discovered by Huxley did not directly contribute to their deaths, and that the cause of death was odorless carbon monoxide poisoning. Family members who attended the inquest described Keely Cole as the kindest person anyone could ever meet. They also recalled that Christopher Cole deeply loved his children and that living in harmony with nature was his life's purpose.