Imo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Obi Njoku, has ordered for autopsies to be carried out on seven members of a family and their two in-laws, who died in Emekuku, near Owerri, on Sunday.
At a news conference in Owerri on Monday, Njoku said the cause of the deaths of the family members had yet to be determined but stressed that the deaths were not natural.He, however, advised the people to remain calm till the results of the analyses were released.
The commissioner said he had set up a five-member committee headed by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Johnny Ihebereme, who would liaise with the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, to conduct the autopsies to determine the actual cause of the deaths.
Ihebereme said the committee would liaise with the FMC, Owerri, to conduct a thorough investigation, adding that they would examine the food remnant in the deceased persons’ house and also look into the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Mr. Pascal Njoku, his wife and five children, as well as their two in-laws, died on Sunday after the burial of Njoku’s mother on Saturday.
Source