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Elderly couple trapped in home's debris
CHICAGO, (UPI) -- An elderly Chicago couple found alive under piles of garbage in their two-room apartment may have been trapped there for as long as three weeks, officials said.
The 75-year-old woman and her 76-year-old husband, who police described as hoarders, were discovered Monday during a forced-entry, well-being check requested by a neighbor, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The residence "was packed from floor to ceiling," said police Lt. Dale Kingsley.
Fire personnel had to wear hazardous-materials suits to deal with the debris, as the odor was overpowering, the Tribune said.
No one had heard from the couple in three weeks, said Fire Department spokesman Kevin MacGregor.
The woman may have fallen through the trash first and become trapped. Her husband may have tried to help her and seemed to have become trapped as well.
The woman appeared to have suffered rat bites, and the couple were taken to the hospital in critical condition, the Tribune said.
Their conditions have improved, a nurse said.
"I thought it was an abandoned building actually. Someone should have checked on them. You'd walk past and there was no one there at all," said a neighbor, Cleopatra Ingram.
CHICAGO, (UPI) -- An elderly Chicago couple found alive under piles of garbage in their two-room apartment may have been trapped there for as long as three weeks, officials said.
The 75-year-old woman and her 76-year-old husband, who police described as hoarders, were discovered Monday during a forced-entry, well-being check requested by a neighbor, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The residence "was packed from floor to ceiling," said police Lt. Dale Kingsley.
Fire personnel had to wear hazardous-materials suits to deal with the debris, as the odor was overpowering, the Tribune said.
No one had heard from the couple in three weeks, said Fire Department spokesman Kevin MacGregor.
The woman may have fallen through the trash first and become trapped. Her husband may have tried to help her and seemed to have become trapped as well.
The woman appeared to have suffered rat bites, and the couple were taken to the hospital in critical condition, the Tribune said.
Their conditions have improved, a nurse said.
"I thought it was an abandoned building actually. Someone should have checked on them. You'd walk past and there was no one there at all," said a neighbor, Cleopatra Ingram.