Four labourers died of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at their living quarters in Hamad Town in Bahrain on Monday.

Police said the men never woke up after lighting a wood fire in an empty paint drum in the room they shared before going to bed.

Colleagues discovered their bodies at around 9am after going to their room when they failed to show up for work at 7am.

Only roommate Sunil Sashidharan, 53, survived, but was in a critical condition in the BDF Hospital last night.

All five were from the Indian state of Kerala, said a statement.

Police confirmed an investigation was underway and Labour Ministry inspections and labour unions head Ahmed Al Haiki called for awareness campaigns to educate low-paid workers about the dangers of CO poisoning.

'It is very sad these men have died due to something that could easily have been prevented,' he told the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, at the scene.

'They would never have done what they did if only they had been more aware.' – TradeArabia News Service