How 4-day-old baby survived generator smoke that killed parents, siblings, grandma

By Our correspondent

A man, his wife, two children, mother-in-law and an apprentice have reportedly died after inhaling fumes from a generator in Nkwelle Ezunaka,in the Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to a source only their four-day old baby survived the mishap.

It was learnt that the man’s wife was delivered of a baby four days ago, and to give her a surprise gift, the husband arranged for the family to move to their new house.

A source in the area said it was the family’s first night in their new residence when the incident happened, adding that only the four-day-old baby survived.

The source maintained that the incident was revealed when a friend, who was supposed to join them in the celebration that night but couldn’t meet up, went to the house in the morning and discovered that the doors were locked with the generator still on.

He said, “The entire member of the family were in their new house celebrating when suddenly there was a power outage. The man put on the generator stationed at the verandah close to the bedroom.

“The celebration continued into the night before they all slept off and didn’t remember to switch off the generator.

“The next morning, a friend who was supposed to join them in the celebration but couldn’t meet up, went to the deceased’s house only to discover that the doors were locked with the generator still running.

“After knocking for some time without response, he alerted other neighbours, who forced the door open and saw the lifeless bodies; it was only the four-day-old baby that survived.

“The wife and one of the daughters were still unconscious when they were rushed to the hospital, but efforts to resuscitate them, including placing them on oxygen, failed, and they were pronounced dead.”

The Manager of St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, where the victims were rushed to, Rev. Fr. Izunna Okonkwo, confirmed that only the newborn baby survived.

Sources said the middle-aged man, identified only as Ifeanyi, hailed from Enugu State, and was a trader at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market.

The spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent , said the police had yet to unravel the cause of the tragedy.

Ikenga said,“The matter is still being investigated and the details will be communicated as soon as investigation is concluded.”