A nine-year-old girl lost her life due to suffocation caused by smoke from a burning charcoal stove on Tuesday night in Sofia ‘B’ Village, Busia Municipality, Busia District. The deceased, identified as Patra Alinda, a Primary Three pupil of Greens Primary School, was the daughter of Ms Josephine Muzaaki and George Mukhwana, residents of the same Village.
The distressing episode occurred as the three brothers, aged three, five, and seven years, were left alone in their home. They had been cooking rice in their room, inadvertently locking the door and subsequently falling asleep. The lack of ventilation in the room became a critical factor as the burning charcoal stove emitted smoke, leading to the tragic suffocation of Patra Alinda.
According to Mr. Frank Ojambo, the Sofia Village Vice Chairman, the absence of windows and ventilators in the room hindered access to fresh air, contributing to the alarming trend of such incidents. He emphasized the need for better housing construction practices with proper ventilation to mitigate the risk of suffocation.
Ms. Angela Mutesi, a neighbor, shared that the mother of the children was admitted to Soroti Hospital for an operation, while the father had gone to a nearby market. The children, left unattended, were alone in the room when the tragic incident occurred.
Despite the community’s swift response, breaking down the door and rushing all four children to Busia Health Centre IV, Patra Alinda couldn’t be saved. The three surviving siblings responded positively to treatment and were discharged after a few hours.
Mr. David Walekera, the officer in-charge of Sofia Police Station, confirmed the unfortunate event, stating that the children were in a room with a burning charcoal stove, causing them to suffocate. He added that carbon monoxide produced by the stove compromised oxygen levels in the poorly ventilated room.
Mr. Hillary Bwire, a science teacher, theorized that Alinda’s sleeping position on the upper decker, where the carbon concentration was higher, might have contributed to her demise. One of the surviving brothers mentioned that she had moved the charcoal stove into the room due to rain, closed the door, and they all fell asleep.
As the community mourns the loss of Patra Alinda, the police are preparing for an autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of her death.
