Three dead in Accra after generator fumes fill room overnight
A power outage that prompted a seemingly routine decision to run a generator has ended in tragedy, claiming three lives in the Mahean-Ablekuma suburb of Accra, among them a 19-year-old who had recently completed her secondary school education.
The victims, including Florence Naa Kwarley and carpenter Jonas Ofosu Yeboah, in whose room they were sleeping, were found dead in a hardened state early on Wednesday, May 6, an indication that they had been dead for several hours before anyone discovered them.
According to reports, Ofosu Yeboah had placed a running generator in a locked corridor adjacent to the room on the night of the incident, following a power outage. The enclosed space would have allowed carbon monoxide fumes to build up overnight with no means of escape.
For the family of the deceased carpenter, the shock is compounded by the ordinary nature of the decision that preceded the disaster. His sister, Bernice Ofosu, struggled to make sense of the loss.
“It is heartbreaking. My brother was always careful, but that night he placed the generator in the corridor to deal with the power outage. We never imagined it would end like this,” she said.
The Amasaman Divisional Police Command has confirmed that investigations into the circumstances of the deaths are ongoing.
The incident is a grim reminder of the deadly risks that come with running generators in poorly ventilated or enclosed spaces, a danger that continues to claim lives across Ghana, particularly during periods of power outages.
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