In a tragic incident in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, four young children, aged three to six, suffocated after becoming trapped in an unused freezer.
The heartbreaking event took place in the densely populated northeastern Zambezi Region.
Preliminary investigations by Namibian police indicate that the children were playing inside the old deep freezer when they accidentally became trapped. The latch on the freezer could only be opened from the outside, leaving the children stuck inside for about an hour and a half.
Two of the children were found dead at the scene, while the other two were rushed to Katima Mulilo State Hospital, where they were declared dead upon arrival.
Aranges Shoro, a father of one of the victims, recounted the moment the children were discovered: “I am told that one of the other parents came looking for the children and saw their shoes next to the fridge. When they opened it, they found the children inside the freezer.”
Zambezi regional police commander Andreas Shilelo confirmed that the children suffocated after being locked inside. “There was a hook on the freezer that could only be opened from the outside. They were stuck for about an hour and a half and suffocated,” he said.
The unused freezer, left outside one of the affected families’ homes, had not been secured or removed, raising concerns about why the non-functional appliance was left accessible. Namibian authorities are continuing their investigation into this tragedy.
