A mother and her daughter were confirmed dead on Sunday evening in Iganga district after inhaling contagious smoke. The dead have been identified as 30-year-old Salima Kaudah and her seven-year-old daughter, Ruth Mudondo.
Neighbors retrieved the deceased’s lifeless body from their home in Igulusi village, in Nakalama sub-county, in Iganga district. They became suspicious after noticing that their door was still locked by 3:00 PM. The family head Peter Basooma is still battling for his life at Iganga General hospital where he was rushed for further management.
Mubarak Muwumba, a resident of the area, says that Kaudah and her child were last seen on Saturday night. Muwumba says that they alerted police officers who upon forcefully opening the door, saw Kaudah and her daughter lying lifeless on the ground.
The Busoga East Region Police Spokesperson, Diana Nandawula confirms the incident, saying that preliminary findings show that the duo suffocated to death after cooking in a poorly ventilated house. Nandawula says that police recovered a burnt-out charcoal stove and saucepan full of cooked bananas as exhibits from the scene.
She warned members of the public to refrain from cooking inside their houses while asleep, arguing that such acts limit the amount of oxygen in the air, which can result in suffocation. In a related incident, three people also suffocated to death in Kibuku district on Christmas.
Immaculate Alaso, the Bukedi Region Police Spokesperson identified the deceased Nawire Florence,58, Sumaya Oliveraged, and Kakai Lot, both minors below ten years of age. The victims were residents of Bwase village in Buluya Parish, Kirika sub-county in Kibuku District.
In her statement, Also explained that Kirika Community Police Station received a report of possible suffocation by carbon monoxide from a charcoal stove left burning with food on it when the victims went to sleep.
“The neighbors upon realizing that they had delayed waking up, felt concerned and attempted to wake them up. Their efforts proved futile as there was no response. They were forced to break the door only to find their lifeless bodies inside the house,” she said.
She explained that police retrieved the deceased’s bodies and conveyed them to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem.
“We would like to caution the public that the largest group that suffers from carbon monoxide poisoning are families. It is important to note that carbon monoxide poisoning is entirely preventable. Individuals or groups of persons can protect themselves by learning the symptoms of carbon monoxide and how to prevent it,” she said
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