At least four people were killed here on Saturday after allegedly burning processed coal to keep warm, the press office of Ulan Bator city's Governor's Office said Sunday.
"A total of 16 people from several families have been hospitalized since Friday evening after allegedly using the processed fuel for domestic use. Unfortunately, four of them, including two children, died on Saturday," the press office said in a statement.
Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, mayor of the capital city, ordered relevant officials to determine causes of the deaths and whether the case was related to the processed fuel, it said.
Ulan Bator, home to over half of Mongolia's population, suffers from severe air pollution in winter.
On May 15, a government ban on domestic use of low-grade coal in Ulan Bator came into force, with the aim of reducing air pollution. Since then, households in the city have been supplied with processed fuel instead of raw coal.
褰檽锟斤拷?