A woman and her 3-year-old son almost died when they breathed in pesticide sprayed to kill mosquitoes at their home in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, on Wednesday.

Ma, a taxi driver, sprayed an excessive amount of pesticide in his home to get rid of mosquitoes after he closed all the windows. He then went out to work.

Ma's wife and son returned home from a trip to Sanya, the southernmost city on Hainan Island, at about midnight, bathed and went to bed, unaware that Ma had sprayed the toxic substance.

When he returned home from work early the next morning, Ma's wife and son were both unwell.

Local doctors said Ma's wife and son had been poisoned and would have died if they had not been treated in time.

Nanguo Morning Post