Mother, three children burn to death in Rivers State

A mother and her three children have died in a tragic fire incident in the Okochiri community of the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was gathered that the distressing incident happened in the early hours of Friday. At press time, the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, but it was learnt that the fire was put out through the efforts of local youth.

The Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Igwe Godswill, who confirmed the development, said the details of the incident were still sketchy.

Godswill said that when he and his team arrived at the scene of the tragic incident, they saw the charred remains of the victims. He added that police had arrived at the scene and gathered vital information.

He said: “We just heard the news this morning about the fire. There are no proper details as to what happened, but when we got there this morning, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and died.

“But the police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community.

“When we got there this morning, the fire had been put out and the police had already come to the scene. I believe proper investigation will be carried out.”

However, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Assistant Superintendent of Police Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident.

Agabe confirmed four deaths – a mother and three children – contrary to the number mentioned by community sources.

She said: “There was a fire incident in which a woman and her three children tragically lost their lives, while others sustained injuries. Property estimated at thousands of naira was also destroyed in the inferno.

“Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the cause of the fire outbreak.”