Six die after cover of septic tank caves in at a wedding

Six children plunged to their deaths in a septic pit during a wedding reception.

The six were attending the ceremony in Mshomoroni on Saturday evening.

Two brothers were among those who died after the cement slab covering the 70-foot-deep pit caved in under the weight of about 20 people dancing on it.

The six were buried on Sunday in Mombasa and Kwale.

Seventh victim

A seventh victim, Mwanajuma Omar, 35, who was rescued, is unconscious at a local hospital.

A rescue team could not move heavy equipment to the area because of the narrow streets.

Neighbours had gathered at the home of Saddam Ziro and Fatuma Chilodi when tragedy struck at around 6.30pm, sparking a stampede that injured dozens.

The reception was abandoned.

"The incident happened on Saturday evening as villagers at a wedding fell into a septic tank. It is unfortunate that lives were lost while a survivor of the incident is in hospital,'' Mombasa County Police Commander Johnstone Ipara said.

Grieving families relatives and friends on Sunday converged at the homes of the victims at Kabujo village, Mishomoroni in Kisauni constituency, to bury them.

Among the dead were Fatuma Muka, a Form Four student at Mtopanga Secondary School.

Muka's body was transported to Kasemeni village in Kinango.

It was double tragedy for Mwalimu Masoud Omar, who lost two children in the accident - Masoud Mwalimu, a Class Seven pupil at Kisauni Primary School, and Mohamed Mwalimu, a kindergarten pupil.

"It is too much for me to bear," he said.

The other victims were identified as Munira Adan, 11, Riziki Ali Bununu, five, and Abida Mohamed Nduta, 14.

Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo spent the better part of yesterday visiting the bereaved families.

The Magogoni ward representative, Ali Mohamed Shomari, urged the county government to ensure that all buildings abide with construction requirements.

Poor workmanship

"It is evident that poor workmanship led the septic tank to cave in. If proper inspections were done, we would not be mourning today,'' Shomari said.

The Mombasa County head of the inspectorate department, Mohamed Amir, said his office would inspect all septic tanks.

"We are all saddened by the deaths. Going forward, we shall ensure that the owners of such structures put up signs warning people not to stand on septic tanks,'' he said.