KAKATA, Margibi County—Four children were killed Wednesday, August 19 afternoon after a wall of their home collapsed on them in the Peace Island Community in Kakata City, Margibi County.
By Yawah Y. Jaivey
The incident reportedly involved seven children—five boys and two girls—who were near the structure when the wall collapsed.
According to eyewitnesses, all seven children were struck by the falling wall and rescued by neighbors and subsequently rushed to the Charles Henry Rennie Memorial Referral Hospital in Kakata, Margibi County.
According to police reports, four of the children, including three boys and one girl, were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital, while the remaining three are being admitted in critical condition in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The deceased have been identified as 4-year-old Mohammed Tuore, 2-year-old Moses Fayiah, 1-year-old Christian Kollie and 9-year-old Miata Forkpah.
The three children reported to be in critical condition are 3-year-old J. Thurston P. Flomo, 16-year-old McGill Fayiah, and 5-year-old Dorcus Giddings.
Meanwhile, the exact circumstances surrounding the collapse of the wall have not yet been established.
The Liberia National Police, through its Crime Services Department in Margibi County, has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the collapse and establish whether negligence, recklessness or any other unlawful conduct contributed to the tragedy.
According to police authorities, investigators are working to establish the ownership and occupancy of the house, determine the condition and structural integrity of the collapsed wall, establish the circumstances that led to the collapse, and identify and interview eyewitnesses and other persons with relevant information.
