Fatal gas leak

Death drama for ORF star and dance talent (13) in Vienna

The 13-year-old was considered a great dancing talent.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Zwefo/Screenshot)

It's a terribly sad story: a girl fleeing the war in Ukraine suffocates in a gas accident in Vienna. Yeva was considered one of Austria's greatest dance talents. 

It was only in April that she reached the semi-finals of the ORF show "Die große Chance" and enchanted the audience on screen. Having escaped the horrors of war in her home country of Ukraine with her parents, the fast-learning German pupil hoped for a new, better future in Vienna. But fate struck mercilessly last Sunday evening - and struck the war refugee family with a terrible death drama.

Lying lifeless in the shower
Yeva just wanted to take a quick shower. Because she didn't come out of the bathroom for a long time, her brother became worried. When he went to check on his 13-year-old sister, he recoiled in horror. The girl was lying lifeless in the shower. Despite desperate attempts at resuscitation, the emergency services were unable to bring the enthusiastic young dancer back to life.

After investigations, the suspicion immediately fell on the gas boiler in the apartment of the apartment building in Penzing. During measurements, the professional fire department found - as reported - greatly increased levels of carbon monoxide. The odorless gas is considered a slow killer.

200 victims of gas accidents every year
The ongoing heatwave in particular can be (life)threatening. This is because high temperatures increase the risk of CO accidents even more, as the thermals come to a standstill. This creates a so-called "air pocket" - the result: a backlog of gas that can penetrate into the living space. According to the Austrian Road Safety Board, around 200 people in Austria are poisoned by carbon monoxide every year.

Defective gas boilers or air conditioning units operated simultaneously with gas boilers are the most common causes.