Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A mother and daughter have died after locking themselves in their bathroom and burning wood and eucalyptus to “purify” themselves from the coronavirus.

Justina Condori de Romero, 42 and her daughter Rosemary Romero Condori, 24, were found dead at their home in the El Mirador area of the Alto de la Alianza district in the southern Peruvian province of Tacna.

Local media report Justina’s husband Justo Romero Copare, 47, had become worried after realising they were taking a long time in the bathroom, and he decided to go in and check on them.

He used a key to go inside and reportedly found both women naked on the floor. He called the police and a pot with boiling water was found inside the bathroom as well as eucalyptus which had been burnt over a wood fire.

The pair had reportedly created eucalyptus vapours as a purification method to avoid catching coronavirus. Preliminary investigations show that the pair are believed to have suffocated as the bathroom did not have the proper ventilation.

The husband said the windows to the bathroom had been covered with paper.

Their bodies have been taken for autopsies, the results of which have not yet been released.

Prosecutor Marco Mayta Larico has ordered an investigation into the case and all hypotheses are being considered.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Peru has registered 94,933 cases of COVID-19 and 2,789 related deaths.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.