Hail city has registered a third death from butane gas or "laughing gas." A 14-year-old boy inhaled the deadly gas while enjoying an outing with his friends last Thursday, local media said.

The victim was rushed to the emergency ward of King Khaled General Hospital in Hail, but was pronounced dead on arrival due to suffocation. The gas inhalation caused a lung failure which led to the boy’s death, a medical source at the hospital told a local daily.

Dr. Yusuf Mahmoud, a respiratory disease specialist, said that butane is a toxic and highly flammable gas. It acts subtly owing to its being colorless and odorless. “The gas, if inhaled has a negative impact on the upper and lower respiratory tracts and the nervous system,” he said.

The gas’s danger lies in its easy accessibility as it is sold in the open market as a source of cooking fuel.

The gas is also used by medical practitioners such as anesthesiologists, dentists and gynecologists, he said.

Dammam, in the Eastern Province, was the first city to have reported a case of death from inhaling butane in April. The person was identified as Abdulaziz Al-Misfir, 14. A few days later, Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Miqrin, a 15-year-old boy, was reported dead after having inhaled the toxic gas in the Jubail industrial city, according to the paper.