Lying on floor saves gassing victim 

A man whose  two friends died from carbon monoxide poisoning after taking a portable cooker into their small cabin survived by lying on the floor to avoid the fumes.
 
The trio were staying at a motor camp  at in Ruapuke, just south of Raglan.
 
The only survivor is being treated at a naval decompression chamber where he is in a serious condition.

Police believe the men, on holiday from Auckland and Hamilton, suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after taking a charcoal barbeque into the cabin.

The sole survivor, a 32-year-old man from Hamilton, was taken to the Devonport naval base in Auckland for hyperbaric treatment after he was first flown to Waikato Hospital.

The men were part of a larger group who had gone on a fishing trip.

They had earlier caught some fish and had cooked and barbequed it outside their cabin. It is believed that at some time in the evening the men had decided to bring the barbeque inside their cabin.

In doing so they broke a cardinal rule of cooking - never cook in enclosed spaces, as the gas emitted is carbon monoxide - a silent killer that, if breathed in high concentrations, can cause death within a minute.

Their bodies were found after 8am in the morning after one of their friends in the larger group realised they had not gone for their scheduled fishing trip at half past five as they had planned.

The friend knocked on the trio's door after realising it was locked. That is when he heard the sole survivor pleading for help, saying he could not move and was hurting.

The friend then got the manager to help him open the door. They tried kicking the door down, but when that did not work, the manager drilled out a window latch to get in.

The survivor was found distressed and taken to hospital. The other two men were already dead by then.

The Westpac Air Ambulance says the man sustained carbon monoxide poisoning due to the burning BBQ in the hut.

Spokesman Grant Bremner says the man's lucky to be alive.

He says it appears the man who survived was sleeping on the floor, while the others were in beds.

This may explain why he survived as he would have been caught by a draft.

Police are still speaking to next of kin and names are not expected to be released until next week.

The identities of the dead men will be released once formal identification has been completed.

One thing that is known by ONE News at the moment is that the men were dropped at the camp by their wives, who are spending their weekend at a baby shower.