American department store chain giant Target has been forced to recall over 204,000 blankets sold across the US after two girls died due to suffocation.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall decision stating the move was necessitated as the product posed a risk of death by asphyxiation.
“The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Target Corporation, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, are announcing the recall of about 204,000 Pillowfort Weighted Blankets, where a young child can become entrapped by unzipping and entering the blanket, posing a risk of death by asphyxiation,” read the notification published by CPSC.
Meanwhile, Target in a statement extended its condolences to the family of the bereaved and that it was working closely with the Commission.
“We send our deepest condolences and support to the family that lost their loved ones. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we acted quickly to begin removing Pillowfort Weighted Blankets from our assortment and have pulled all of these items from sale,” a Target spokesperson was quoted as saying by Fox.
“In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the product manufacturer, we are also initiating a full product recall and are in the process of alerting consumers.”
Notably, a four-year-old girl and a six-year-old girl in the state of North Carolina died in April, earlier this year after becoming entrapped in the cover of the blanket.
Target is now urging customers, who had already bought the blanket to stop using it and contact their respective stores for a refund.
“This product is deadly, and today’s action to immediately recall the product and offer a refund to consumers is the only acceptable path forward,” said Richard Trumka, CPSC commissioner.
The blankets were manufactured in China and had been sold across Target stores from as early as December 2018 till September this year.
The blanket weighed nearly three kilogrammes and measured 60 inches long and 40 inches wide. It came in eight prints and weighed almost three kilogrammes.
(With inputs from agencies)
