If someone is asphyxiated, they die or lose consciousness because they are unable to breathe properly.
Three people were asphyxiated in the crush for last week's train. [be VERB-ed]
Synonyms: suffocate, choke, strangle, stifle
asphyxiation (æsfɪksieɪʃən ) uncountable noun A post mortem examination found that she died from asphyxiation.
Synonyms: suffocation, strangulation, throttling