Jonglei: Five die in Bor house fire

July 3, 2012 (BOR) – A house fire early on Tuesday morning in Bor, the capital of South Sudan’s Jonglei State, has killed a woman, her three children and her niece. The cause of the fire is unknown but relatives of the deceased say it could have been arson.

Bor Police officer, Daniel Domach, told Sudan Tribune they were informed of the fire at 1am but the house was already “completely burnt” and the five people already dead by the time they arrived.

Marial John Kur, a member of the Bor Fire Brigade said that by the time his team arrived “there was nothing to be recused”.

The deceased have been named as Ayak Malony Riak (35), Achol Ayak (8), Agau Ayak (5), Riak Ayak (1) and Ayak’s niece Adhieu Mathung (13).

Officer Domach said that an investigation would be launched as the relatives had alleged that it may have been deliberate.

John Deng, a student who lives nearby, told Sudan Tribune that they were woken up in the middle of the night by fire and found that Ayak’s house had been locked from the outside. The flames were too fierce to attempt to save them, he said.

However, neighbours did manage to rescue the mother of Ayak, as she was staying in an adjacent house that had not been locked. Ayak’s mother tried to commit suicide after seeing her daughter and grandchildren dead, Deng said.

(ST)