Perugia – A musician was found dead in his room at a hotel in Perugia’s Old Town. The woman who had traveled with him is in critical condition; she was taken to Ravenna for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Investigators believe the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
The man was in his mid-fifties and was part of a group of about forty musicians who had come to the Umbrian capital for a concert at the Sala dei Notari. When the two failed to show up for the performance on Friday evening, their colleagues raised the alarm. Emergency responders found the musician in a room on the third floor.
Carbon monoxide detected on several floors
The fire department subsequently detected elevated carbon monoxide levels on several floors of the building and ordered the building to be evacuated. Investigators are focusing their attention on a room near the one where the building’s heating system is located. An expert report must determine whether the cause was a technical defect, inadequate exhaust venting, or a failure to perform maintenance. As of now, authorities are treating the incident as an accident.
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and is therefore often not detected until those affected are already incapacitated. Early symptoms—headaches, nausea, and drowsiness—can easily be mistaken for other causes; when a person is asleep, these symptoms are completely absent. In Italy, regulations for commercially operated heating systems require regular inspections; however, detectors that alert to the presence of the gas are not universally required in lodging facilities. Following accidents of this kind, this very issue is regularly revisited in public debate.
