Mar 11, 2010, 13:36 GMT
Barcelona - Power cuts caused by heavy snowfall which have affected north-eastern Spain since Monday have claimed an apparent fatality, police said Thursday.
A 40-year-woman was found dead in her home in Ultramort near Gerona on Wednesday evening. She was believed to have been poisoned by the smoke emitted by a generator which she was using to replace the regular electricity supply.
Her elderly parents who were with her were hospitalized in serious condition.
More than 100 other people have also been treated for inhaling carbon monoxide from generators or deficient braziers since a snow storm hit the region on Monday, leaving more than 220,000 households without electricity, officials said.
The vast majority of the victims who received treatment only sustained slight injuries.
About 20,000 households remained without power on Thursday.
If the Ultramort woman's cause of death is confirmed, she would be the second fatality associated with snow storms after a 45-year-old man was found dead near Barcelona buried in snow on Tuesday.
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