Namibian authorities are investigating the tragic deaths of four children who were playing in an unused freezer in the north-eastern Zambezi Region.
The children, aged between three and six, were discovered inside the old appliance in Katima Mulilo, a densely populated town, on Monday afternoon.
Preliminary reports suggest that the children were accidentally trapped in the freezer while playing, leading to their suffocation. Two of the children were found dead at the scene, while th
e other two passed away at Katima Mulilo State Hospital after being rushed for emergency treatment.
Aranges Shoro, the father of two of the victims, recounted the heart-wrenching moment he arrived.
“When I came in, I saw paramedics attending to my daughter and another girl. They rushed them to the hospital, while the other two were loaded in police mortuary vehicles,” he told The Namibian newspaper.
Police have yet to determine why the non-functional freezer was left outside the home of one of the affected families, but investigations are ongoing.