4-day-old baby survives as generator fume kills family, mother-in-law in Onitsha

An Onitsha-based businessman, his wife, two children, mother-in-law, and newly arrived apprentice have been reported dead after inhaling poisonous fumes from the generator they were using.

The incident occurred on the first night they slept in their new mansion at Nkwele Ezunaka, near Onitsha, in the Oyi Local Government Area of the State.

Sympathisers who cried uncontrollably on Wednesday at Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, where the bodies were rushed to, said the man, identified as Ifeanyi from Enugu state, a trader at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market, had planned a surprise package for his wife after her discharge from the hospital, having given birth to a new baby. He decided that they would move into their new mansion at Nkwele Ezunaka to celebrate the newborn and the new house together.

Following a blackout from the public power source, he turned on the generator stationed on the veranda close to the bedroom to provide light in the new house that night.

They were said to have chatted heartily as they made merry into the night before falling asleep without turning off the generator.

The next morning, a friend of his, who was supposed to join them in the celebration but could not make it, went to felicitate with them, only to discover that the doors were locked but the generator was still running.

After knocking continuously without a response, he alerted other neighbours, and they forced the door open and found the lifeless bodies.

On rushing them to the hospital, the wife and one of the daughters were still semi-conscious but later died after all resuscitation efforts, including putting them on oxygen, failed.

Only the four-day-old baby survived without any crisis, thereby raising more curiosity about the circumstances of their death.

The Chairman of Onitsha Bridgehead drug market, Ndubuisi Chukwuneta, who confirmed the sad development, described the deceased Ifeanyi as a hardworking young man who desired the best for his family.

The Manager of St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha, Rev. Fr. Izunna Okonkwo, confirmed that only the newborn baby was in stable condition when they reached the hospital, as four had already died before getting to the facility.

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