It was around 8:15 p.m. last night when an ambulance from the Düsseldorf fire brigade was called to a person with circulatory problems. The carbon monoxide detector, which every ambulance carries to protect the crew from the invisible gas, then went off at the scene.
Heated party room
According to the fire brigade, the location turned out to be a wedding – with 150 to 200 revelers. They had celebrated in the basement of a building and heated the premises with gas heaters. The poisonous carbon monoxide was apparently released, which led to symptoms of poisoning among the party guests – not just the one person to whom the paramedics were called.
Many had already gone outside when the fire brigade arrived, and the rest were brought out of the basement by emergency services wearing respiratory protection. The fire brigade then ventilated the building with high-performance fans. A total of 34 people were taken to hospitals, who, according to the rescue workers, had to be treated in a pressure chamber to get the carbon monoxide out of their bodies. Some had previously gone to hospitals themselves, while others were cared for by chaplains on site.
support from the surrounding area
Because the operation was a so-called “mass casualty incident”, rescue service units from Duisburg and the Mettmann district were also deployed to provide support, a total of around 75 emergency services.
We report on this topic on WDR on April 9th, 2023 also on television: Current hour, 6.45 p.m.