Woman dies of epilepsy in Anambra from fecthing water

A middle-aged woman on Wednesday lost her life while drawing water from a well in her compound at Ogechukwu street, Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The deceased, who was said to be epileptic patient, had gone into a fit while fetching water from the well, throwing her into it, resulting in her death.

Simply identified as Ifenyinwa, the deceased was a native of Ugbenu in Awka North local government area of the state.

The deceased, who is a petty trader, died at about 7 am Wednesday morning when she was brought out of the well.

Some of the residents in the area, who described the incident as tragic, said she was attempting to draw water from the well with a rope when the fit suddenly took over her, throwing her into the well.

A resident of the area, who gave her name as Justina, blamed the incident on her relatives and neighbours, saying they should not have allowed her to fetch the water herself as her health condition was very well known to people around.

“She might not have died that way if she had been assisted to fetch the water,” she lamented.

Another neighbour, who preferred anonymity, dismissed the claim by the former, saying the deceased had been fetching water from the well all through the years she lived in the compound.

“That was not the first time she fetched water from the well. Even though she suffered from epilepsy, she had been engaged in some other tedious activities, including visiting village markets where she purchased the fruits she sold.

“I think she was just destined to die today. If not, she could have successfully fetched the water the way she had always done,” he said.

The corpse was said to have been rescued by an expert swimmer who jumped into the well with the assistance of a rope tied to a ladder.

Our correspondent who visited the scene of the incident, reports that residents of the area and other sympathisers were seen at the compound, expressing shock over the incident as well as consoling the family of the dead one.