Generator fumes kill two in Edo

Tragedy struck on Tuesday when the corpses of two middle-aged women were discovered in a shop in the Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.

It was gathered that one of the deceased, said to be a fashion designer and the owner of the shop, Uju Muobuikwu, had invited the other victim to assist her at the shop located on Second East Circular Road.

It was also gathered that Muobuikwu had turned on a generator to enable her to sew clothes throughout the night and deliver them to her customers on time.

Her brother, Chukwudi, said he had earlier received a call from his sister on Monday, but could not reach her when he later tried to.

He said, “I got a call from my sister at about 2pm. She said her friend was not feeling fine. I told her to give her anointing oil.

“Minutes later, I put a call to her mobile phone to know the situation of things, but she did not pick my call. So, I came here this morning and we invited the police to force the door open.”

It was learnt that the corpses were taken away by policemen from the Esigie division.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, told our correspondent on the telephone that the women died of suspected inhalation generator fumes.

Kokumo said, “They died after inhaling generator fumes. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims inhaled toxic fumes from the generator.”

He said the command would carry out an enlightenment campaign on the health hazards inherent in the indoor use of generators.

Kokumo said, “They were fashion designers who must have been working all night to probably meet up with the demands of their customers this Yuletide.

“They slept where the generator was placed. So, died after inhaling  generator fumes. We will soon embark on a campaign to enlighten members of the public that using generators indoor is dangerous.”