A man in Portugal has been ‘smothered to death’ after his reportedly obese wife tripped, fell onto him, and couldn’t get back up.
The unnamed victim, 59, who has been described in local media as being slight in build, died in his home in the residential district of Campanha on the outskirts of Porto.
His wife, who was a year older and weighed more than 100kg, is said to have stumbled as she got out of bed to go over to her partner who was lying on the floor beside her.
Neighbours alerted by the woman’s screams after she became trapped between the bed and the wall of the couple’s home are said to have raced to their aid in the early hours of Monday morning.
They managed to lift her off him but he was already unconscious by the time firefighters and paramedics arrived.
Tragically, the efforts of medical responders to revive him after he went into cardiac arrest proved unsuccessful.
The woman’s weight reportedly played a key factor in her inability to get up after she became trapped.
It is not clear how much she weighs but she has been described locally as ‘obese.’
Portuguese daily Correio da Manha said five men had to lift her off her partner.
PSP police officers have investigated but have ruled out foul play and decided it was a freak accident.
One source close to the investigation said: ‘It’s been categorised as an accidental asphyxia.
‘It’s obviously a very unusual death but there was no criminal intent.
‘It was a stumble by the woman as she got out of bed and tried to move closer to her husband who was lying on the floor that led to what happened.’
The unnamed dead man’s partner is understood to have been offered grief counselling.
The couple had lived together as man and wife, although they weren’t formally married, for several years according to reports in Portugal.
