Carbon monoxide poisoning ‘primary line of inquiry’ after three found dead at care home in UK

Dorset police have said that there there is ‘nothing to indicate any risk to the wider public’ in the south-west England town.

LAST UPDATE | 23 Oct 2024

THREE PEOPLE HAVE been found dead and four people have been taken to hospital after an incident at a UK care home.

Police investigating the deaths at the care home in Swanage, near Bournemouth in Dorset, are pursuing potential carbon monoxide poisoning as their “primary line of inquiry”.

Dorset Police Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey told the press that seven people were also in hospital as a result of the incident at Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road on Wednesday.

However, she said there was “nothing to indicate” danger to the wider community.

Emergency services are at the scene at Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage in the south-west of the England, with remaining residents having been evacuated to a safe location.

An emergency gas services responder had earlier attended the home.

Dorset Police said the deaths are being treated as unexplained, with an investigation launched. The home, run by Agincare, has 48 residents, all elderly and some with dementia.

#BreakingNews | Please see our below statement following an incident at at a care home in Swanage this morning: pic.twitter.com/9R29COjuJg
— Dorset Police (@dorsetpolice) October 23, 2024

Police said: “We understand this incident will have a significant impact on the Swanage community and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have sadly died at this extremely difficult time.”

Katie Lobban, a spokesperson for SGN, a gas distribution company, said they were called to Gainsborough Care Home earlier today as the national gas emergency service for the south of England.

She said engineers were sent to complete safety checks in the building, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragic incident.”

People living near the scene in Ulwell Road saw residents being taken out of the building.

One man, who did not want to give his name, told PA: “They evacuated the care home, Gainsborough Care Home. They have taken all the patients out but the emergency services are still on the scene.”

He said he saw some residents being taken out in wheelchairs. He estimated there were two fire engines, three to four police cars and around eight or nine ambulances at the scene, where the road remains closed.

With reporting by PA