A visually impaired 91-year-old Chimanimani man was on Wednesday burnt to death while sleeping in his bedroom hut after his blankets caught fire.
OBEY MANAYITI
Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Enock Chishiri confirmed the death of Johnson Mutunzi who, because of his condition, failed to escape and was burnt to death.
Chishiri said on the fateful day, Mutunzi was left sleeping in his bedroom hut in Ruhowani village Chief Muusha area in Chimanimani when his blankets caught fire around midnight.
“His blankets caught fire while he was asleep and he was unable to escape resulting in him being burnt. He could not escape because of his disability, but he managed to scream for help while he was in flames. Unfortunately, even when his cries for help were heard, he could not be assisted since he had been engulfed in flames,” said Chishiri.
His 38-year-old son, who was sleeping in a different bedroom, heard his father screaming for help and rushed to investigate, but failed to rescue him from the flames.
Other villagers also came over, but failed to rescue the old man. When they eventually managed to put out the flames, the villagers called an ambulance to ferry Mutunzi to hospital, but by the time arrived at the hospital, the old man had died.
Chishiri urged members of the public to be attentive to their disabled relatives to avoid tragedies of this nature.
