Man dies while warming self in car

A 21-year-old Domboshava man was found dead inside a parked vehicle at a panel beating workshop in Graniteside, Harare, on Wednesday in a suspected case of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jairos Nzvimba, of Mandaza Village in Domboshava and owner of Laxline Panel Beaters, was discovered lying lifeless inside a white Honda Ballade parked at his garage.

A charcoal stove, which was still producing heat and smoke, was found beside his body, leading to suspicions that he had been using it to keep warm while working late into the night.

According to his assistant, 26-year-old Samuel Kasambwa, the deceased had remained behind at the workshop on Tuesday night after repairing a client's Toyota Quantum.

"He told me that he would sleep in one of the cars in the garage once he had finished fixing the headlights of the Toyota Quantum," said Kasambwa.

He said he returned to work at around 7am on Wednesday and made the grim discovery.

"I arrived at work and found him lying on his back across the driver's and passenger's seats of a white Honda Ballade which was also parked at the garage for repairs.

"I tried to wake him and realised that he was not showing any signs of life. He was covered with a blanket," he said.

Police attended the scene and the body was taken to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination.

The incident was reported at Braeside Police Station under reference RRB 6940517.

Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Nzvimba's death are ongoing, although the presence of the charcoal stove has raised suspicions that he may have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping inside the enclosed vehicle.