Four kids die in abandoned car

Tragedy struck residents of Okponglo near Legon Wednesday, as four children were suspected to have suffocated in an abandoned car at a mechanic's workshop.

The Legon Police are investigating the case in which the four children died in an abandoned Renault saloon car.

Two of the victims, Samira Ibrahim, seven, and Salifu Ibrahim, two- and-a-half were siblings and Ernestina Anang and Josephine Martey, both four, were cousins.

They reportedly left home in the morning to play within the Okponglo vicinity where they lived but never returned until their lifeless bodies were discovered in the abandoned vehicle.

They were rushed to the Legon Hospital at about 2:30pm after they were discovered unconscious but medics on duty said the children had died about two hours earlier.

The Legon District Police Commander, Frank Anning, who confirmed the incident, said nurses at the medical facility, called at about 2:30pm to inform his outfit of the death of the kids.

Upon inspection of the remains, there were marks of violence on parts of their heads and shoulders, indicating that there had been some struggle of a sort before their death.

The police chief disclosed that the children were seen sweating profusely. Some had defecated and others had vomited.

According to the police, the mother of Samira and Salifu, while leaving the house that morning, she could not find them.

When she returned at about 11 am, the children were still not back. She therefore went to a neighbour's house where they usually went to play with their friends, Ernestina and Josephine, but could not find them either.

Her helpless search for her children alerted Ernestina's mum that her daughter and cousin had also been missing for a while.

They therefore joined the search for the tour children.

During the search, a neighbour prodded Samira's mum that she used to see the kids playing around a near-by garage and suspected they might be there.

The distressed parents got to the abandoned mechanic's shop and soon discover that the missing children were trapped in an abandoned Renault car.

The tinted panes made it difficult for passersby to have noticed the children without a closer peep.

With signs of sweat all over them, the parents thought they were still alive.

But it was too late. Staff at the Legon Hospital, where they were sent for treatment, said they had been dead hours earlier.

Their remains have since been deposited at the Legon Hospital's morgue awaiting autopsy while the police are taking steps to unravel the mystery surrounding their death.