The Enugu State Police Command says it has commenced investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of six persons, including a groom, Obinna Dike, in Akutara village, Adani community, in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the state.
However, a reliable source close to the family of the deceased told our correspondent on Monday evening that the death of victims could be linked to the inhalation of fumes emitting from a generator that was placed at the veranda of the house.
PUNCH Metro gathered that eight other persons, who were said to be part of the guests at Dike’s wedding ceremony in Akutara village, were receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the community.
The victims, after attending the wedding ceremony on Saturday, left the venue to continue the celebration at home.
Afterwards, they reportedly went to sleep in their various rooms at their residence in the community.
Things, however, took another turn when none of them came out of the rooms the following day.
Disturbed by the development, neighbours and residents in the community, who attempted calling their names and knocking on the doors of the rooms for the victims to open the doors to no avail, broke down the doors.
Upon gaining entry into the rooms, the residents reportedly found the lifeless bodies of six of the victims, including the groom, with foamy substances discharging from their mouths.
Eight other victims, who were found breathing faintly, were quickly rushed to hospital for treatment.
Our correspondent gathered that the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the victims had thrown the celebrants’ families and residents of the community into mourning.
Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer, in a statement, said the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, had ordered the state Criminal Investigation Department to investigate circumstances surrounding the victims’ death.
The statement read in part, “Preliminary investigation reveals that one of the confirmed deceased persons, Obinna Dike, 31, attended his traditional marriage ceremony at Obollor-Eke, in Udenu council area with his relatives and other victims of the incident on August 26.
“They, thereafter, went back home and continued with the celebration. However, the following morning, none of them came out of the room where they slept. This caused the door to be forced open, with all of them in the room found to be unconscious with foamy discharge from their mouths.”
The statement, however, noted that they were rushed to the hospital, where six of them were confirmed dead and deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
Meanwhile, eight others who survived were said to be responding to treatment in a hospital in the area.
While commiserating with the families and friends of the deceased victims, Ammani appealed to residents in the community to remain peaceful and support the police with necessary information in the investigation to unravel the cause of their deaths.
However, a reliable source close to the family allegedly linked the victims’ death to inhalation of generator fumes.
He said, “The bride, the groom’s mother and sister, whose two sons died and the rest that were hospitalised have recovered. The groom’s mother and the bride have been asking the whereabouts of the groom since they regained consciousness. We are suspecting generator fumes to be the cause of their deaths.”
