By BRIAN HATYOKA, SYLVIA MWEETWA  and REBECCA MUSHOTA –
FOUR children have been crushed to death in separate incidences on New Year’s Day.
Three of the children died during a prayer session in Mazabuka after blocks of their church collapsed on them, leaving five other children seriously injured on Sunday afternoon.
Southern Province Police Commissioner Bonny Kapeso in a statement yesterday identified the children as David Simabula, 11, a boy of Messengers Township and two girls, Noria Dube, 13, and Tumelo Mukelabai, nine.
Mr Kapeso said the deceased children were members of the Plan 2000 Apostolic Church in Mazabuka.
“The other five girls injured have since been admitted to Mazabuka General Hospital, while the three bodies were taken to Mazabuka Hospital mortuary,” Mr Kapeso said.
In a similar manner, a one-year-seven-month-old bay was crushed to death, while six other family members were injured after their house collapsed on them while in their sleep.
The house collapsed after a tree fell on it in Mushindano of North-Western Province.
The accident happened in the early hours of Sunday, following a heavy downpour.
The injured are in a critical state, according to North-Western Province Police Commissioner Auxensio Daka.
Mr Daka identified the deceased toddler as Vincent Bweupe of Kainamfumu area along Mushindano-Solwezi Road.
Those injured were Rwidness Tubukya, aged 36, Justina Kailele, 20, Mapesho Kailele, 10, Sante Kailele, eight, and Mercy  Kailele, aged six.
“I can confirm that we have recorded a case in which a house collapsed after a big tree fell on a grass-thatched house resulting in the death of a baby boy,” he said.
In another incident, a woman of Garden Township in Lusaka has committed suicide by throwing herself in a sewer pond after a marital dispute.
Margaret Namukoko, 38, of Luangwa area threw herself in a sewer pond on Sunday morning.
Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said Ms Namukoko left her matrimonial home around 04:30 hours after she had a quarrel with her husband.
“At about 05:00 hours, she phoned one of her sisters who resides in Katete, informing her that she was going to commit suicide by throwing herself in the water,” Ms Katongo said.
Ms Namukoko was then found dead in a sewer pond and the body was retrieved by the Fire Brigade.
The body was taken to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) mortuary.
And a 34-year-old man of Chaisa Township has been arrested over the death of his 27-year-old wife.
Ms Katongo said Danny Mumba was arrested for allegedly killing his wife, Esnart Phiri, at their home on Sunday afternoon.
She said the weapon that was used in the incident was not yet known, but Ms Phiri’s body was found half naked and in a pool of blood with multiple injuries.
Ms Katongo said the body was in the UTH mortuary awaiting a post-mortem, while the accused was in police custody and had been charged with murder.
Meanwhile, a room at Findeco House in Lusaka yesterday caught fire, causing a power blackout in the entire building.
The fire is believed to have started in one of the rooms on the 23rd floor after an air-con electrical fault.
Zesco spokesperson Henry Kapata said the fault was as a result of poor wiring and not Zesco installations.
Mr Kapata said Zesco had advised the property management to repair the faulty wiring before the company re-charged the building with power.
“Property managers of buildings such as Findeco House that have seen better days should take routine maintenance. This has just been caused by poor wiring,” he said.
Mr Kapata said that Zesco installations were on the basement of the building and, therefore, could not have caused the fire.