Seven members of the same family have died after a wall of a house they slept in fell on them at Mayani village in Mponela, Traditional Authority Chakhaza in Dowa.

Police say six of the dead are children between the ages four and nine, while the oldest who was their grandmother was aged 52.

Spokesperson for Mponela police station MacPatson Msadala told Malawi News Agency (Mana) preliminary findings indicate that on the night of December 23, Abiti Beliyasi aged 52 together with her six grandchildren sneaked into a dilapidated house they came across and slept there.

According to police, the house was located behind a main house.

“Around midnight the owner of the main house reports of having heard a sound of a falling wall, but she did not bother to check bearing in mind that the house was unoccupied due to its poor condition.

“However, on the morning of December 25 around 8 am, passersby alarmed by a bad smell and flies originating from the fallen wall discovered the dead bodies in a decomposed state,” said Msadala.

The matter was reported to Bowe police unit and the scene was visited by detectives from Mponela police and a medical officer from Bowe health centre. Postmortem conducted revealed death was due to suffocation.

The deceased children have been identified as Mayamiko and Chikumbutso Kasangu both aged nine, Joana Charles aged eight, Kelvin Olandi aged six, four year-old Faith Kasangu and Benito Masamba aged five years, all from Mayani village, T/A Chakhaza in the district.