NEW DELHI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least five persons died of asphyxiation after inhaling carbon monoxide in India's northern state of Haryana, the local police confirmed on Tuesday.

The incident was reported from Haryana's Kurukshetra district. According to the police, the deceased died of asphyxiation as they inhaled carbon monoxide emitted from burning charcoal kept inside the closed room they were sleeping in.

All the deceased were laborers, involved in painting works, and hailed from the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.

Giving details, a local cop stated, "All the five had arrived in Kurukshetra on Monday evening. They hired a room in a hotel and slept inside it with burning charcoal in a container called angithi in a bid to keep themselves warm amid the cold during night hours. In their sleep, they inhaled carbon monoxide coming out from the burning charcoal, and eventually died." ■