FIVE girls of the same family have had their lives tragically terminated by a suspected arsonist in Shikalembula village, leaving residents in shock. The girls, aged between 12 and 17, two of whom are sisters, died in a housefire on Saturday night after rescue operations by family members failed. The door to the thatched mud house is suspected to have been locked with a chain by an unknown man, who set the structure on fire.

“After 22:00 hours, my wife, Favour, prayed with the children and they went to sleep, but only to be woken by a fire later on,” a distraught Mr Milimo told a Daily Mail news crew that visited the fire scene yesterday.

He said when he and his wife got out of their house to save the children, they found the door to the hut locked with a chain. “That’s how we failed to save them,” Mathews Milimo said. He said earlier in the day, a man phoned him on a strange number and told him: “You will see what will happen to you tonight”. And Mrs Milimo said she woke up after hearing the children screaming. “I rushed but only to find the house they [children] were sleeping in on fire.

It was locked, we got a hoe to break it open but it was too late,” she said as tears cascaded down her cheeks. The parents of the victims have urged police to ensure that people who caused the fire are brought to book. Police suspect arson. The victims are sisters Noria and Emely Milimo, aged 15 and 12, respectively. Others are Mable and Getrude Mweemba, both aged 17, who are cousins.

The other victim is Jean Mweemba, also aged 17, who is the cousin of Noria and Emely. Father of Noria and Emely, Mathews Milimo, is still in shock, especially that the children were all in good health when they went to sleep in a hut opposite his. And Cletious Mweemba, whose daughter Mable also perished in the inferno, could not give an interview because he was still in shock.

Mable’s mother, Loveness Mweemba, said her heart is still bleeding. Mrs Mweemba said the girls were happily singing that day because they had just returned from church together. Sub-chief Shakumbila said the death of the five children is a tragedy and urged police to thoroughly investigate the incident.

He suspects foul play. Shibuyunji district commissioner Jairos Simukoko said the death of the children is a disaster and that Government will cover funeral expenses. Mr Simukoko, who was on his way to the funeral house to deliver a tent and mealie meal, said Government will also buy coffins for the victims. Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said in a statement that the case is a suspected arson. “Preliminary investigations have shown that the house was set on fire by unknown people because the door was locked from outside wit