A late-night fire outbreak on Thursday claimed the lives of six siblings in Mangu town, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, plunging the community into mourning.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, around the Old Mangu Market area.
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Family members said the deceased children were aged between four months and 12 years.
An uncle of the victims, Umar Babangida, told PREMIUM TIMES that the fire started at about 2 a.m.
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According to him, the children’s mother sustained severe burns while trying to rescue them and is currently receiving treatment at the Allah Nakowa Hospital in Mangu.
“The mother and her nine children were watching television until about 11 p.m. Later, the three male children went to sleep, leaving the mother with the six younger ones,” Mr Aliyu said.
He explained that the exact cause of the fire could not immediately be determined.
“We cannot categorically say what caused the incident. All we know is that there was a power supply before they went to bed.
Around 2:30 a.m., we received a distress call that fire had engulfed the house,” he said.
Mr Aliyu added that the mother made frantic efforts to bring the children out of the room but was unsuccessful, leading to the injuries she sustained.
“The mother tried all she could to save her children, but she couldn’t. That was how she sustained serious burn wounds,” he said.
He disclosed that Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the chairman of Mangu Local Government Area have visited the bereaved family to commiserate with them.
According to him, the governor urged the family to take solace in the tragedy and promised government support to help rebuild the destroyed house.
“The governor and our local government chairman have visited us to offer their condolences. We are grateful to everyone who came to our rescue during the incident,” Mr Aliyu said.
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He also praised residents of the area for their show of solidarity, noting that people from different religious backgrounds worked together during the rescue efforts.
“During the fire outbreak, we saw love from both Muslims and Christians who trooped out in their numbers to help,” he added.
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