Nakhon Ratchasima: A 12-year-old boy died and his friend was hospitalised after inhaling bottled gas they bought from a convenience store yesterday.
The boy, whose name was withheld, was found dead outside a convenience store in Kham Sakae Saeng district. His friend, Bee, also 12, was discovered unconscious beside him. Both were sixth-graders from the same boarding school, according to police.
Police said the boys went to the store and bought a small can of cooking gas. They released the gas into a plastic bag then took turns putting the bag over their heads and inhaling the content, a practice similar to glue-sniffing and known as huffing.
The gas had a hallucinatory effect; however, the child breathed in an excessive amount of the gas and died, while his friend passed out.
The survivor was rushed to a local hospital where he later recovered and was able to provide police with a statement.
According to police, the boys were addicted to inhalant and often snuck out of their school to buy substances off drug addicts to inhale.
The boy who survived told police he and his dead friend learned the inhaling technique from an older student at the school. He said all he remembered was briefly breathing in the gas and waking up in a hospital bed.
The boy said he was upset over the loss of his friend and vowed never to inhale the gas again.