Tragedy as child burns to death : The Standard

Grief has engulfed a family living in Obunga slums in Kisumu after their six-year-old daughter perished in a fire accident on Christmas day. On Wednesday, Caroline Achieng, a mother of four was still struggling to come to terms with the loss. She also lost all her household goods in the inferno that struck late in the night. When The Standard visited the scene of the incident, the distraught mother and one of her daughters were sitting separately and sobbing uncontrollably as neighbors comforted them. They had left the minor in the house alone who had been sleeping before the flames engulfed their house.

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She said she had left the minor with her sister who also left the house but forgot to blow off a candle that they were using in their single roomed house. “I had left them in the house shortly but was shocked when people started looking for me to inform me that my beautiful daughter has perished,” she said amid sobs. According to Amina Boke, a neighbor, the pair had gone to celebrate Christmas in KOndele and left the child alone in the house. Boke said that neighbors heard the child cry but were unable to save her because of the strong fumes. “The child tried to save herself and even hid under the bed where her body was found but unfortunately she passed on,” she said.

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Nyanza Regional Police Commander Leonard Katana said that the police have launched investigations to establish the circumstances under which the child was left in the house. He however noted that there were no major criminal incidents that were reported during the festive season. “It has been largely peaceful and police have done a good job to ensure to ensure that the celebrations are not marred by incidents of crime,” said Katana.

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Obunga slumsKisumuFireChristmas DayTragedy