Six family members suffocate to death in Nakasongola

Nakasongola, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Six family members have been found dead at Kaleire village in Nakasongola as result of suspected suffocation.

The deceased have been identified as Sadik Lumu, aged 26 and his wife, along with their four children aged between six years down to six months, of whom three were girls. Police is yet to identify their names.

Residents say the deceased had settled at the village a month ago after relocating from Nambeere village in Luwero district and came there to earn a living by working in a pineapple garden belonging to one Bogere.

They were found dead in their temporary shelter made of tarpaulins.

Their bodies were found on Tuesday afternoon by fellow workers after they failed to wake up.

Steven Anyweine, the LC 1 chairperson of Kisweramainda village which borders Kaleire village told URN that Lumu and his wife were last seen on Monday evening coming from the bar.

Anyweine who visited the scene said that its believed that the two slept off because they were drunk and left the charcoal stove with cassava cooking.

He adds all the family members are believed to have died after suffocating as result of inhaling carbon monoxide from the burning charcoal, which gas has no smell and simply sends the victim to sleep forever.

Anyweine says the charcoal stove with the cassava which they were cooking was found inside the shelter.

Residents reported to Kaleire police post and Nakasongola Central Police Station from where personnel later arrived at the scene to investigate the incident.

Isah Ssemogerere, the Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson says that the dead bodies were transferred to Nakasongola health center IV for postmortem.

Ssemwogerere says that preliminary investigations indicate that there was a charcoal stove with food on it which consumed all the oxygen supply in the tent leading to probable suffocation.

He however noted that policemen also picked samples from food for further analysis as part of investigations to establish the exact cause of death.

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URN