6 seconds ago 2009-11-27T19:05:45-08:00
LA PAZ, Bolivia – Two Canadian students found dead in their hotel room in a tourist town in southern Bolivia were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from their gas heater, Bolivian police said Tuesday.
Anne Christelle Dube Marquis, 21, and Andreanne Lacroix-Pelletier, also 21, both students at the University of Laval in Quebec City, were visiting the Uyuni salt flats, a popular destination for young backpackers known for its dramatic scenery, and also its bitterly cold weather. The two women checked into the Hostal Sajama in the town of Uyuni on Sunday afternoon, and later requested a heater to keep their room warm, said Colonel Socrates Pilco of the Bolivian police. The innkeeper stopped by the room to shut off the heater at 5 a.m. and thought the girls were still asleep, Col. Pilco said. But when the pair failed to rise later in the afternoon it was discovered that the two had died in their beds. The women had been on an exchange with the University of Cordoba in Cordoba, Argentina and were vacationing in Bolivia with friends, according to a report by The Canadian Press. The incident was still under investigation, and the hotel's heater was being closely examined, Col. Pilco said.
