Last Tuesday, a tragedy shook the Villa Devoto community when Mariana, daughter of Demetrio De Nastchokine (79) and Graciela Just (74), fainted upon entering her parents' house. When she opened the door, severe dizziness caused her to collapse, alerting a neighbor who quickly called 911. What seemed to be an isolated incident later revealed a tragedy that ended the lives of several people.
Shortly after the emergency call, around 4:25 p.m., a SAME ambulance arrived at the scene along with officers from Police Station Vecinal 11A. Upon entering the house at Sanabria 3768, they found Mariana, who had already recovered from her fainting. She explained that when she opened the door to her parents' house, where her brother Andrés, her sister-in-law Marie, and her nephews were, she suddenly felt disoriented. The stale air in the home caused her to faint immediately.
Once the full entry was made, firefighters found the lifeless bodies of the family members in different rooms of the two-story house. On the first floor, Andrés de Nastchokine (43), his wife Marie Lanane (42), and their daughter Elisa, 4 years old, were found. In a nearby room, the one-year-old baby, who was rescued conscious, was found. On the second floor, the bodies of Demetrio and Graciela, the elderly couple, were found lifeless.
Graciela había recibido a su hijo Andrés en el aeropuerto hace pocos días. Ambos fallecieron en la tragedia.
Carbon monoxide: the invisible culprit
The head of SAME, Alberto Crescenti, stated that when they arrived at the scene, the house was completely closed and there was no detectable smell of gas. Although the official cause of death will be confirmed with the autopsy results, authorities suspect that carbon monoxide was the cause of the tragedy. "It's a silent killer," Crescenti said, describing the lethal effects of the gas, which combines with hemoglobin and causes respiratory arrest without the victims being able to notice it.
Preliminary investigations point with 99% certainty to carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause. Firefighters indicated that several appliances in the house, such as water heaters, a gas heater, and a boiler, could have contributed to the accumulation of the deadly gas. This type of poisoning, being silent and invisible, is particularly dangerous if action is not taken quickly, such as opening windows or going outside, which could have saved lives.
Lessons from a tragedy
Although authorities are continuing their investigations, the Villa Devoto tragedy leaves an important lesson about the importance of preventing carbon monoxide poisoning. A simple oversight in ventilation or maintenance of household appliances can be fatal. The tragedy not only struck the family but also reminded the entire community of the importance of being aware of the invisible dangers that may lurk inside homes.
