10 Nigerians killed by smoke inhalation at wedding

At least 10 people were confirmed dead after suffering from smoke inhalation while at the venue of a local wedding in southern Nigeria, according to the police and local media.

Some 30 others were on life-support in different hospitals as a result of the fumes they inhaled from a power generator at the wedding venue in Mbaitoli area of the southeastern state of Imo on Monday.

The police described the incident as “unnatural” and said a full-scale investigation was underway.

State Police Chief Rabiu Ladodo said a preliminary investigation proved that the victims, including the bride’s parents, had inhaled the fumes from the mechanical device while sleeping at night after the wedding party.

“The generator was on in the kitchen till the dawn of the day, while the doors and windows of the rooms the guests slept in were locked,” Ladodo told reporters.

According to The Punch, a local newspaper, about 50 people who slept in the building were found unconscious, while some were already dead when help came in.

“The door was forced open to rescue victims and evacuate dead bodies,” the newspaper reported, quoting the village head, Martin Ezurike.

Source: ghananewsagency.org