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Nursing mother, nine-day-old baby die as overhead water tank collapses in Ondo

He, however, added that the deceased and her child had been evacuated by security agencies following an emergency call by the neighbours.

• December 13, 2023
Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya
Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya [Credit: TVC]

An overhead water tank, on Wednesday, crashed on a storey building, killing a nursing mother identified as Bosede Sanusi and her infant in Akure, the Ondo state capital, Peoples Gazette has learnt.

The tragic incident, which happened at the Ayedun Quarters of the state capital, occurred when the deceased and her 9-day-old child were resting inside their room in the compound.

The Gazette gathered that the grandmother of the baby and her elder brother were injured in the incident as they made a move to escape from the crash.

A neighbour in the building, who preferred to be anonymous, attributed the crash to the weakness of the blocks where the overhead water tank was placed inside the compound.

“The block was already weak, and the water tank fell on the building housing the woman and his family. It was sad that when it crashed, the tank collapsed the house on the deceased and her child who was in the room,” he said.

While describing the incident as saddened, he revealed that the child was only christened on Tuesday in the presence of clergymen and other neighbours who besieged the compound for celebration.

He, however, added that the deceased and her child had been evacuated by security agencies following an emergency call by the neighbours.

Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the spokeswoman for Police in Ondo, who confirmed the tragic incident in a phone chat, said the bodies of the deceased had been deposited at the hospital’s morgue immediately after their remains were evacuated.

Ms Odunlami-Omisanya, who also blamed the weak erection of the blocks holding the overhead water tank for the death of the duo, explains that the police have launched a thorough investigation into the incident. 

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