Generator fumes kills 10 at wedding in Imo
Val Okara, Owerri
At least 10 persons were reported dead after inhaling carbon monoxide from a generating set in Umuobajiaku Umuomumu in Umueze autonomous community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The incident which occurred on Sunday, June 9, 2019 after a traditional wedding between Miss Favour Uzoegbu and Ifeanyi Okafor from Ihiala LGA of Anambra State.
Report had it that the victims numbering about 30 who came from far and near to grace the occasion slept in an uncompleted storey building after the wedding.
When the day broke at about 7 am, one of members of host family placed calls on a family member but there was no respond which prompted him and others to force the doors open and the people were lying on the ground.
According to an eye witness, police from Iho Police Division were alerted and they (Police) took them Ikeduru Hospital in Ikeduru LGA and Iho General Hospital for medical attention.
At Ikeduru Hospital, the Managing Director Dr. John Agbaihe, told newsmen that 20 persons were brought to the hospital out of which three were brought dead while 17 were in Intensive Care unit receiving treatments through Oxygen.
According to him, among the dead was 13-year-old boy that was brought to the hospital at about 8 am, saying that the 17 were responding to treatments.
A community leader, who identified himself as Chief Martin Ezulike, who spoke to our correspondent, said that a generating set was on for 12 hours which was kept inside the building where victims were sleeping.
“I saw about eight persons lying on the ground while people were busy bringing out the victims from the building,” he said.
He said that the new couple was not affected as they left on Sunday night to their destination in Abia State but dismissed any spiritual attack, describing the incident as a mere carelessness.
The police spokesman of Imo State Command, Orlando Ikokwu (SP), confirmed that six persons lost their lives.
Another version of story said that the owner of the house where the victims slept died over one year ago and had not been buried. It was gathered that the wife of the deceased had since left the community with a warning that nobody should enter into the building.
