By Jenny Suo
Police are calling for stricter controls on the sale of butane gas, after the weekend huffing fatality.
A teenager died on Saturday inhaling the pressurised fuel, stirring up debate over why it's available to young people over the shop counter.
“It’s pretty sad to see one of my friends pass away, just something that was really stupid and just really sad to see her go so young,” says a friend of 17-year-old Poihaere Eru, who died who died in a flax bush in Riccarton on Saturday after huffing.
Police found 16 cans of butane gas in the area and believe they were bought at a nearby shop, now they're calling for stricter regulations around its sale.
“I think sales should be restricted to persons of a certain ages, shopkeepers must be vigilant as to who they sell it to and perhaps locking it up as some retailers do for paint and other solvents,” says Greg Murton of the Christchurch police.
There have been more than 30 huffing deaths over the last 5 years, earlier this year, a 12-year-old in Christchurch died from inhaling butane, and in July two Dunedin teenagers suffered serious burns when two LPG bottles they were sniffing exploded.
Jamie Jury was one of them, he's still in hospital and his father says he's in pain everyday.
“They're putting their life on the line, it's suicide really what they’re doing, because that’s the bottom line, if they do that, that’s just suicide,” says his father.
The Prime Minister says he's waiting on a report from the chief coroner.
“My understanding is that he’s saying there could be quite a substantial number of deaths linked to this, up to 50 people in a short period of time, of course we take that seriously, we just need to take a look at what he's saying,” says John Key.
The report is due out next month.
3 News