BOY 9 DIES IN HOUSE INFERNO (PICTURES)

LILLIAN CHIKANDI writes

@SunZambian

A NINE year old boy, identified as Isaac Muzeyi, has been burnt to death after the three bedroomed house he was in with other family members, caught fire.

The house belonged to Mr Lemmy Kapanga, an Interpol officer based at Chirundu border, and his wife, Pamela Kapanga, a nurse at Mtendere Mission Hospital in Chirundu high cost area.

According to the deceased’s sister, Josephine Kapanga, the fire was ignited by a candle which was left still lit in the bedroom after the deceased and four other family members fell asleep.

The fire, Josephine said, quickly spread to other rooms where the other family members were sleeping.

She said she quickly alert other family members in the house who later called for help from the neighbours before the fire brigade arrived at the scene.

An eye witness, Gibson Chibwe, also narrated that the neighbours only managed to rescue four other children through the window but Isaac was gripped with fear and failed to escape.

By the time the fire brigade arrived at scene, all property in the house, worth thousands of kwacha, was already burnt to ashes.

The four children have been admitted to Mtendere Mission Hospital for observation while Mrs Kapanga was treated for a cut on her left hand.

Meanwhile, the neighbours spoken to, regretted the incident which occurred around 22.hours and bemoaned the delay in taking Isaac’s remains to the mortuary.

They said government departments, like the police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and Office of the President (OP) failed to help to transport Isaac’s remains to the mortuary until church members intervened about midnight.

The matter has been reported to Chirundu Police Station and Isaac’s remains have been deposited at the Mtendere Mission Hospital mortuary.