A tragic incident occurred in Nkwele Ezunaka, near Onitsha, Anambra State, where a middle-aged man, his wife, and their two children lost their lives after reportedly inhaling poisonous fumes from a generator at their residence. Unfortunately, the mother-in-law and an apprentice, who were also sleeping in the same building, also succumbed to the deadly fumes.
The man, Ifeanyi, hailing from Enugu State and working as a trader at Onitsha Bridge Head Market, had planned a surprise for his wife by moving into a new apartment to celebrate the recent birth of their baby. Tragically, the night they entered the new home to mark the joyous occasion turned into a devastating event.
An Eyewitness: “The entire members of the family were enjoying themselves when suddenly there was a power outage. The man had to put on the generating set stationed on the veranda close to the bedroom.
“The celebration continued into the night before they all slept off and didn’t remember to put off the generating set.
“The next morning, a friend who was supposed to join them in the celebration but was unable went to felicitate with them only to discover that the doors were locked with the generating set still on.
“After knocking continuously without response, he alerted other neighbors, who forced the door open and saw the lifeless bodies.”
According to the report, it was discovered that the wife and one of the daughters remained unconscious when they were hurriedly taken to Borromeo Hospital. Despite extensive efforts to revive them, including providing oxygen, they tragically passed away.
“It was only the 4-day-old baby survived without any crisis which raised more curiosity on the circumstances of the death of others,” the eyewitness added.
Rev. Fr. Izunna Okonkwo, the Manager of St. Charles Borromeo Hospital in Onistha, reported that only the newborn was in a stable condition when they arrived at the hospital, while the other four had already passed away.
Police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga also expressed his sorrow, noting that the cause of their deaths was still unknown.
“Yes, the unfortunate incident happen and we are yet unravel the circumstances surrounding their death.
“The Commissioner of Police directed the Divisional Police Officer in the area to find out what happened.
“The information he gathered shows it happened and the particular house has been identified while the inquiry is still ongoing.”