Tragedy struck in Bisodun village in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State as five members of a family were killed by generator fumes.
According to the PUNCH, the remains of the victims were discovered by residents of the community in the early hours of Thursday, March 9, 2023, after perceiving unwanted odour coming from their house.
The family members were identified as Rahman Adeshina, Fatimah Adeshina, Awaal Adeshina, Ahmed Adeshina and Raimot Adeshina.
A source said the family left the generator working all night while they went to bed, noting that they might have been suffocated to death by the deadly fumes from the generator.
According to the source, the victims died on Tuesday, while their remains were discovered two days after.
“They put the generator inside to prevent it from being stolen. The family died as a result of the fumes coming out from the generator The dead bodies were discovered on Thursday inside their house at Bisodun village but they might have died since Tuesday. The dead bodies had been recovered and deposited at OOUTH, Sagamu for autopsy.” the source said.
A resident, Tajudeen Ogunpola, said the family which consists of a father, mother, and three children were last seen alive on Tuesday afternoon.
I saw them on Tuesday afternoon, they were easygoing people. It was the odour coming from the family that attracted us. When we got there, we met the three children lying lifeless on the bed in the room, while their parent’s remains were in the parlour. We were the ones that called the police. They took their corpses away and I believe they have called their relatives.”
Meanwhile, a public health expert in Ogun state, Dr. Yusuf Lapite, attributed the death to improper positioning of the generator set, adding that the victims might have inhaled the fumes for several hours.
Dr. Lapite explained that inhaling generator fumes for several hours easily damages the lungs and victims of such may be choked to death.
He, however, advised that the generator should be placed far away from the house to avoid getting in contact with the dangerous carbon coming out of it.
“Whatever is in the air that you inhale ends up in your lungs, whatever that comes out from the generator has carbon in it. It is dangerous to be putting a generator close to your home because when you are enclosed to generator fumes, you can die from them. A generator should be put in an open space and far away from where you are staying; people should not put it close to where they live.” Dr. Lapite said.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said the remains of the victims had been released to the family for burial.
“They have been buried today, we have released their corpses to their family.” the PPRO added.
