Four children between the ages of three and six have been reported dead after they were trapped in an unused freezer in Katima Mulilo, Namibia.
The tragic event occurred in the densely populated area of the northeastern Zambezi Region.
According to Namibian police, preliminary investigations suggest that the children were playing inside the old deep freezer when they became accidentally trapped. The freezer’s latch, which could only be opened from the outside, left the children stuck inside for approximately an hour and a half.
Two of the children were found dead at the scene, while the other two were rushed to the Katima Mulilo State Hospital but were declared dead upon arrival.
Aranges Shoro, one of the fathers of the victims, recounted the moment the children were discovered, saying, “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, which had been left outside one of the affected families’ homes, had not been secured or removed, raising questions about why the non-functional appliance was left accessible.
Namibian authorities are continuing their investigation into the tragedy.
