Tragedy struck in Gaun community, in the Magboro area of Ogun State, after two children, Taiye and Kehinde Oluwasegun, were burnt to death in an inferno that gutted their parents’ bungalow on Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident happened around 8pm while the family was preparing to have dinner.
Our correspondent gathered that the first born of the family, Iyanu, had tripped over a jerrycan of fuel, which also spilled some of its content in the parlour.
While the mother mopped the spillage, the fuel was said to have flowed to a lantern in the house, which triggered an explosion.
Residents, who were alerted by calls for help, reportedly rescued Iyanu; the second child, Korede; and their parents.
However, the twin children, aged three, were burnt to death.
When our correspondent visited the area on Wednesday, he observed that everything in the house was burnt as smoke still billowed from burnt property in the three-bedroomed bungalow.
Korede, six, who sustained burns in the leg, told PUNCH Metro that his father, Aina, was about taking their generator outside when his sister fell.
He said, “My daddy has two generators. We use the big one to pump water, while the small one is for the house.
“My daddy had put the small one in the room to pour petrol into it before taking it to the cage that was outside. My mummy was preparing food in the kitchen that time.
“My sister, who didn’t know there was a jerrycan on the floor, tripped over it. My mum then took the mop to clean spilled petrol. She was doing that when the fire started. There were six of us in the house: my dad and mum, my sister, the twins and me.”
Our correspondent observed that there was no motorable road in the community and the area was connected to the rest of Magboro by a stretch of rickety bamboo bridge.
A motorcyclist in the area, who did not identify himself, said the survivors were helped by residents to cross the bridge.
He said, “It was a difficult task getting the survivors to the hospital. We had to carry them on our backs with their burns.
“The woman kept asking for her twins, while the husband kept lamenting that he lost everything to the fire.”
PUNCH Metro visited Perfect Joy Hospital where three members of the family were taken to for treatment.
Our correspondent observed that Aina, a carpenter, suffered severe burns in his legs, hands, face and chest, while his wife, Abosede, a teacher, suffered burns in both legs.
It was learnt that she had yet to be informed that the twins were dead.
A relative of the victims, Pastor Moses Igbinadolor, said Iyanu was in another hospital, adding that she sustained serious burns.
He lamented the lack of basic amenities in the community, saying it made the rescue difficult.
“We took Iyanu to another hospital and the doctor said she sustained 68 degrees burns. What, however, made the case worse was that we couldn’t get across to the fire service because there is no motorable road. The nearest police station is at Ibafo. This just shows that we don’t have a listening government. No road, no power, no water,” he said.
Our correspondent learnt that the case was not reported to the police.
The traditional ruler of Gaun community, Sumonu Seidu, said a delegation from the community had visited the victims in the hospital.
“I am aware the couple lost their twins after a fire incident,” he said.
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