Fire victims died from burnt, carbon-monoxide—expert

FILE PHOTO: Fire-disaster

The victims of the Dec. 27 fire-incident in Ikotun area of Lagos State died from severe injuries sustained from burnt and carbon-monoxide.

Dr Kehinde Akingbehin, the Medical Director of the Do-alars Maternity Hospital in Ikotun, Lagos State, where they were rushed to for treatment disclosed this on Friday.

Akingbehin said that one of the children was brought dead to the hospital while the remaining two were in critical conditions as at the time of arrival.

The three victims, who were children of the same parents, died in the hospital where they were taken to for treatment following injuries sustained from the fire outbreak.

NAN also reports that the ill-fated accident occurred in their single-room apartment at No. 15, Ikuuna Str., Liasu Road, in Ikotun.

Mrs Ngozi Ifediba, a widow was said to be the mother of now deceased: Chiamaka, Emmanuel and Chiagozie Ifediba.

She was alleged to have locked the children who were under 10 years of age, in the house while going out to buy some items very close to their house.

Akingbehin said, “We tried all we could do to revive the two children immediately they were brought into the hospital but they died five hours later.

“We took one of them to another hospital but the hospital rejected the child and we had to return the child to our hospital.

“Even if they had survived, the children would not have remained normal because of the gravity of what happened to them.’’

When NAN visited the scene of the fire, many of the residents were still terrified over the situation, wondering why the fire outbreak affected only the victim’s single room.

A resident who spoke under the condition of anonymity also described the fire incident as a ‘misery’.