Renthia Kaimbi
A 20-year-old woman and her two-year-old niece died in a shack fire in the Tutaleni informal settlement in Walvis Bay early Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out around 03h00 in Kilimanjaro Street in Kuisebmond. Beauty Guidao-oas and Gloria Guibes were inside the shack when it caught fire.
According to the Namibian Police in the Erongo Region, neighbours woke up to the sound of screaming from a nearby structure. When they went outside, they found a shack already on fire with someone trapped inside.
Residents tried to break through the hardboard walls to rescue the victims. The flames were too strong and spread quickly to nearby shacks.
The Walvis Bay Fire Brigade arrived at the scene and put out the fire. By then, six shacks had been destroyed. Fourteen people were left displaced.
Erongo police spokesperson Senior Inspector Judith Shomongula confirmed that the bodies of the two females were found inside the shack where the fire is believed to have started.
The remains of Guidao-oas and the child were removed by the Namibian Police Pathology Services in the Erongo region.
The bodies were taken to the Walvis Bay Police Mortuary. Post-mortem examinations will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Police have informed the next of kin.
“The police extend its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family,” Shomongula said.
Police are investigating the cause of the fire. Authorities have not released further details.
