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Three people dead after dry ice tragedy at blogger's birthday party

Three people have died and six others have been injured after a 25kg tank of dry ice was tipped into a pool during the birthday party of an Instagram influencer.

Ekaterina Didenko, a Russian blogger with more than a million followers, was hosting a party for her 29th birthday when the frozen carbon dioxide was poured into the water, The Mirror reported.

The dry ice was intended to create an impressive visual effect for the guests as they jumped into the pool.

Russian blogger Ekaterina Didenko was celebrating her 29th birthday when it took a fatal turn.
Russian blogger Ekaterina Didenko, 29, has shared her grief after the dry ice tragedy at her birthday party. Source: Instagram/didenko.katerina

Several partygoers suffered acute carbon dioxide poisoning and were taken to hospital.

Some were reported to have suffered chemical burns, while two people both aged 25, Natalia Monakova and Yuri Alferov, died at the scene.

Didenko’s husband Valentin, 32, became the third fatality, according to Russian news website Komsomolskaya Pravda.

The blogger also shared the devastating news on Instagram through tears, saying: “Valya (a nickname for Valentin) isn't with us anymore.”

She added she did not know what to tell the children, asking her followers if they knew someone who could offer psychological help to reach out.

The birthday event was being hosted at a pool and sauna complex in Moscow, with party organisers reportedly responsible for the stunt going wrong.

Ekaterina Didenko and her husband, Valentin, who died in the Moscow dry ice tragedy.
The blogger and her husband, Valentin. He became the third fatality of dry ice tragedy. Source: Instagram/didenko.katerina

Dry ice produces powerful and toxic vapour when its combined with water, and leads to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood when present in a space with poor ventilation.

The blogger has reportedly posted an update to Instagram following the incident, telling people she was being cared for in the intensive care unit.

Initial investigations indicate the three people reportedly died from pulmonary edema, which was caused by breathing in too much carbon monoxide.

The mum of two, who is a highly qualified pharmacist, usually shares advice on at-home medicine use, intimate updates on her life, and even chemical experiments conducted by herself and her daughter.

A criminal case had been opened by the Russian Investigative Committee to look into whether the deaths were a result of negligence, according to The Mirror.

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