A volunteer from Rishton working in Laos died after his mosquito bites became infected, an inquest has heard.

David Murray, 39 from Woodside Avenue passed away in Laos on June 7 after becoming infected with typhus and dengue fever.

David, a HGV driver left Hyndburn in April for the village of Nathong to volunteer with the Sae Lao project, which provides free English classes and runs community initiatives.

Coroner Michael Singleton read a statement to the inquest from Mr Murray’s friend Zoe Michal, who was with him when he died.

She said mosquitoes began to appear, he was bitten on the legs and the bites became infected.

The statement added: “Everybody told him to clean them and to be careful with infection.

“He kept getting new bites and they became more infected, he lost a lot of weight within three months.”

On June 5, Mr Murray was taken to Sae Lao hospital where he had blood tests and his temperature was checked.

The hospital gave Mr Murray oxygen and a serum injection.

In the statement Miss Michale said: “We told him he had to be taken to hospital and at first he refused, but I told him it was better to get checked.

“The hospital cleaned his wounds and showed him how to do it.

“They told him he had to do it several times every day.”

“They gave him medicine for the rickettsia but said the fever would have to pass by itself.”

Mr Murray left the hospital but his condition worsened and he began vomiting.

Miss Michal’s statement said: “He went to Masosot Hospital around 9pm.

“His heart was still going fast.

“It was like an asthma crisis that never ended.

“They kept him in the ER for about three hours, he started asking for quiet and said he wanted to sleep.

In the statement, Miss Michal said while she was making enquiries, she could see the doctors giving David heart massage.

She said: “They covered him with the bed sheet, confirming he had passed away.”

Mr Singleton said the medical cause of death was septic shock caused by rickettsia and dengue fever.

He recorded a verdict of accidental death at Blackburn Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, July 8.