ASHENEWS reports that a family of four have been killed as a result of an electrical power surge and subsequent fire in the Dinyavoh area of Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.
The victims, comprising the father, mother, and their two children were burnt to death in the harrowing event which occurred on Monday. Miraculously, the youngest child managed to survive.
Residents around the area said that there was a power surge which originated from a transformer explosion and affected nine residences leaving several of the residents with various degrees of injuries.
Eyewitnesses, who were neighbours of the deceased, recounted the heart-wrenching turn of events.
One of the neighbours identified as Mr. Dogonyaro said that he was informed by his wife that their house was on fire adding that his wife also told him that their neighbour and the four children had been engulfed in the fire.
“When she informed me that our neighbour and their four children were engulfed by the flames, I immediately instructed her to seek assistance and advised them to break into the house. Help arrived, and some of our neighbours were rescued but regrettably, the man, his wife, and two children suffered fatal burns, except for the youngest, named ‘Heart,’ who miraculously survived.”
Explanining further, Dogonyaro said, “They were electrocuted and burnt by the fire. From the way we saw it, the man had attempted to remove the fuse from the main power supply, and he was tragically electrocuted while his wife, who had recently undergone surgery, made a valiant attempt to assist and was also fatally electrocuted.”
He further acknowledged a recent pattern of power surges in the area and attributed the incident to a combination of a lightning strike and the state of wiring within the compound.
The bodies of the deceased have been transported to an undisclosed medical facility.
