North Dakota couple dies of CO poisoning during cycle rally

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) – A man and a woman from North Dakota have died of carbon monoxide poisoning while camping during the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota.

Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin identifies the pair as 55-year-old Daniel Baker of Arnegard, North Dakota, and 58-year-old Donna Cuccia of Turtle Lake, North Dakota.

Authorities discovered the bodies inside an enclosed trailer at a campground Monday. The Rapid City Journal reports a relative called after the couple failed to come home.

The couple had used the trailer to haul a motorcycle to the rally, then placed a mattress on the floor along with a gas-powered generator to power a cooling fan.

An Omaha, Nebraska, man also died from asphyxiation in his motor home and three motorcyclists died in crashes during the rally, which ended Sunday.

AP-WF-08-14-19 2306GMT