General News of Thursday, 31 January 2013

Source: GNA

70 old burned to death in Tarkwa

Residents of Zongo New Site at Tarkwa could not control their tears when a 70-year-old taxi driver was burned to death on Thursday when the house caught fire.

The deceased, Mensah Amissah, was burned beyond recognition and was the only one at home when the incident happened.

The body has been deposited at the Tarkwa government hospital morgue for autopsy.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the municipal fire officer, Mr. Emmanuel Dorglo said his outfit received a distress call at about 0335 hours and when officers got to the scene they found the room engulfed in flames.

The deceased person’s wife, Madam Alimatu Gyimah, told the GNA that the family of four left for the Tarkwa Government Hospital to seek medical treatment for her younger daughter who was ill.

She said while at the hospital the victim together with her older daughter, Vivian, left to the house which has been without electricity for days due to non-payment of their bill.

Madam Gyimah said after few minutes, she had a call from her husband calling for help and when she rushed home the three rooms the family occupied were engulfed in flames and her daughter was outside shouting for help from neighbors.

She said neighbors tried to break the windows leading to her husband’s room to enable them rescue him but pulled back because of the intensity of the fire.