A restaurant employee has died and seven other people, including five police officers, have been hospitalised after being exposed to carbon monoxide in Sydney‘s northwest.
Police and fire crews responded to reports of a gas leak at Haveli Indian restaurant on Garfield Rd in Riverstone about 9.20am on Tuesday.
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It’s believed the restaurant owner, Resham Singh, and his son discovered a 25-year-old man unconscious inside the venue, leading them to call triple-0.
The pair began to perform CPR on the man, who is believed to have worked at the restaurant as a cleaner, before five police officers attended and took over.
While the officers were performing CPR they felt “there was something probably a little amiss in terms of the environment they were in including an odour,” Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood said.
They took the 25-year-old man from the restaurant area and continued to provide first aid however he could not be saved.
The five police officers as well as the owner and his son, who lived above the restaurant, were all taken to hospital.
It’s believed they are all in stable conditions.
Wood said the officers were “extremely brave” for risking their own safety.
“They’ve put their own lives at risk, going into the environment, commencing CPR trying to save this young man’s life,” he said.
The cause and source of the gas leak remains unclear.
Fire crews are using specialist testing equipment to gather more information.
Wood said the restaurant owner and his son were “shaken up”.
“We are dealing with a tragedy here, a young 25-year-old old male has lost his life,” he said.
“The circumstances and the causation of how that life has been lost is now subject to obviously the fire brigade doing their forensic examination and ultimately we will have a full investigative response and report to the coroner.”
Blacktown councillor Moninder Singh said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the news.
The councillor was at the restaurant’s celebratory opening in April 2024 and said it is well-known in the community and continuing to build on its good name.
“It’s really, really devastating - one person has lost their life and more are injured,” he told www.20304050.best.
He had visited only two weeks ago and said the restaurant owner is a very humble person who caters local Indian events.
Earlier Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said crews had entered the restaurant and identified there was carbon monoxide and “some other products” in the air.
“We’ve got our firefighters who specialise in hazardous materials on scene,” he said.
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is a gas made when fuels like natural gas, petrol, wood, charcoal and coal do not burn completely.
You cannot smell, see or hear carbon monoxide, making it extremely dangerous.
The gas can build up if it becomes trapped inside a space, especially if windows and doors are closed.
According to the Department of Health, symptoms related to breathing in small amounts of carbon monoxide include headaches, nausea and vomiting.
Breathing in larger amounts of the gas can make someone feel dizzy, faint and lead to long-term brain injury or death.
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