Mongolia has sent samples of the processed fuel abroad for further laboratory tests after a total of six people died and dozens of people have been hospitalized here since last week due to allegedly burning processed coal to keep warm, local officials said.
"Unfortunately, the death toll has risen to six in Ulan Bator due to allegedly burning processed fuel for domestic use," Mongolia's deputy prime minister Ulziisaikhan Enkhtuvshin said on Tuesday.
"Three laboratories in Ulan Bator have examined samples of the processed fuel to determine causes of the deaths and whether the case was related to the processed fuel," Enkhtuvshin told reporters, adding "they confirmed that the samples meet the qualified standard."
"However, we have sent samples of the processed fuel to three countries, namely China, Russia and South Korea, for further laboratory tests," he 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.
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