CO POISONING sends 10 to hospital

OTTAWA – Ten people were sent to hospital and one of them was suffering from life-threatening injuries after a suspected accidental case of carbon monoxide poisoning case Sunday morning, Ottawa police said.

Police said the fire department and paramedics responded to a call at about 9:15 a.m. at a home on Granville Street in the city’s Vanier district.

Insp. Scott Pettis told reporters at the scene that the gas came from a vehicle that had been left running inside a garage to warm up. The exhaust built up as the door was left unopen, he said.

Six adults and four children were treated and transported for potential carbon monoxide exposure, the local paramedic service said in an email. One adult was listed in critical condition and the other nine were deemed to be in serious condition.

“It’s our understanding that the family that lives at the address is new to Canada,” Pettis said.

“They’re not really familiar with the cold, and they did run their vehicle to make it warm for them to travel at some point — not knowing that they then had to open their garage door to … adequately ventilate the area.”

Police said the investigation was ongoing.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that can cause tissue damage and even death. It is produced by burning fuel, including gasoline.

POLICE SEEK KIDNAPPING SUSPECT

Montreal police are searching for a man accused of attempting to a kill a woman Friday after he allegedly abducted her and forced her into a car, which later plunged into the Richelieu River.

Police spokesperson Mariane Allaire Morin says the force received a call at around 9 a.m. Friday about a man abducting a 23-year-old woman from a home in Montreal’s Town of Mount Royal suburb.

Police say the woman was in the car when it went into the river later that day, and consider the case domestic violence.

Firefighters were able to use a boat to rescue the woman, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated for hypothermia.

Allaire Morin says authorities are looking for the 26-year-old suspect on land, but the manhunt is focused on the river where police have deployed scuba divers.

Authorities say a witness reported seeing a man swimming in the river on Friday.

OYSTERS DUE TO NOROVIRUS

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

The agency says the recall covers certain Fanny Bay, Sunseeker and Cloudy Bay oysters under the Taylor Shellfish Canada brand.

The recall says most of the affected oysters were harvested and processed in early December, although some may have been harvested as early as Nov. 27.

The agency says consumers who have purchased the recalled oysters should discard or return the products to the point-of-sale, and those experiencing symptoms should seek medical care.

Norovirus symptoms, which can start as quickly as 12 hours after exposure, include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps.

The agency says while most people who contract the virus recover within a couple of days, some severe cases may require hospitalization and intravenous injections.

» The Canadian Press