Newly married couple killed in Arua petrol inferno
Police inquiries indicate that Adima Emmanuel had just married his now deceased wife Lillian two weeks ago.
By Moses Alinda
Arua: Police in Ayivu East Division, Arua City, are investigating a fire incident where petrol burned a newlywed couple to death.
This incident occurred at around 11 p.m. on the night of January 23, 2024, at Okuazaku Cell, Arivu Ward, Ayivu East Division, Arua City.
Josephine Angucia, the West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson, has identified the deceased couple as Anguezaru Fungaro Lillian, 20, and Adima Emmanuel, 30, both residents of Okuazaku cell, Arivu ward, Ayivu East Division, Arua City.
Angucia told this publication that upon informing the Regional Head of Fire Brigade West Nile at 11:43 p.m., the fire crew rushed to the scene to save the situation.
‘’They found that the fire was in the residential house of one Adima Emmanuel and had already burned his wife to death beyond recognition, while Adima Emmanuel was left in critical condition after sustaining serious burns all over the body,’’ she added.
The regional police mouthpiece asserts that police inquiries indicate that Adima Emmanuel had just married his now deceased wife Lillian two weeks ago.
Further inquiries allege that Adima has been an illegal fuel dealer and smuggler from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that he has stored many jericans of gasoline in the house, near the entry at the doorway.
Angucia disclosed that when Adima lit a matchbox within the house already saturated with fumes of petrol, the house went into flames, and his wife Lillian got burned to death instantly.
Meanwhile, Adima, who bravely escaped through the fire outside the burning house, sustained serious burns all over his body, and he died the next day, January 24, 2024, after being rushed in critical condition to Arua Hospital for treatment.
‘’Inquiries into the actual cause of the fire outbreak are still ongoing, though preliminary investigations indicate the cause of the fire to be the lighting of a match box within the building that was storing gasoline.’’
Angucia added that a postmortem was done on both bodies and later handed over to relatives for burial. The scene was examined and documented, and inquiries continue under Ayivu East CRB 011/2024.
She noted that smuggling of fuel from across the DR Congo border has become a common criminal activity taking place in the West Nile Region in recent years, and the fuel is being poorly stored in houses. Angucia cautions such illegal dealers in fuel to desist from it, as it’s not only unlawful but deadly in terms of fire accidents.
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