Eight children fall into pit latrine after slab collapses

A child from Ngala area in Malindi Town died, while seven others sustained injuries after a pit latrine slab that they were playing on caved in Friday afternoon.

According to one of the parents, Pauline Muthoni, the children often play on the slab of the pit latrine, belonging to a local church.

“My child, who was not on the slab at the time of the incident rushed toward me and said: ‘Mum, Naomi and friends have fallen into the pit latrine after its slab collapsed’,” she narrated.

“When we rushed to the scene, we found all the eight children had fallen into the latrine. Sadly, one of the children died while being rushed to hospital.”

According to a nurse at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital, where the victims were rushed for emergency treatment, they received the children in critical condition, but one of them had already succumbed to his injuries.

The children aged between three and eight years study in different schools in Malindi Town.

Malindi Sub-County Hospital head doctor, Hossan Ajuk, confirmed the incident, assuring the parents that medics at the facility would do everything possible to save the lives of the seven survivors.