A Tanzanian female trader has died in the fire that swept through Lusaka’s COMESA market.
The trader identified as Kissa wison Mwakasiyah, a resident of Kanyama died due to suffocation after she attempted to salvage some goods from her shop as the fire was raging.
Both Local Government Minister Vincent Mwale and UTH Spokesperson Natalie Mashikolo confirmed the development separately.
In a ministerial statement to Parliament, Mr Mwale disclosed that over 1,500 stores at COMESA have been affected, representing 80 percent of the market.
Mr Mwale said fire started around 19:30 Hours and that the Fire Brigade was only informed around 20:30 Hours.
He said the cause of the inferno is yet to be established.
Mr Mwale refuted some reports suggesting that Ms. Mwakasiyah died after fire broke out as he was sleeping in her store.
But some sources at COMESA have disclosed that the deceased died as she was attempting to retrieve about K16,000 she had left in the store.
Other sources said Ms. Mwakasiyah is not the only victim as there is another lady who is in UTH nursing serious wounds.
And the UTH has confirmed receiving the body of the deceased around 23:00 Hours.
UTH Spokesperson Natalie Mashikolo said the hospital recorded a Brought In Dead case around 23:00 hours after suffering severe burns from the inferno.
“Her body is currently lying in UTH mortuary and has been identified by her relatives,” Ms. Mashikolo said.
RIP shame
Thanks
BB2014,2016
RIP, condolences to the family.
How many more lives, and/or livelihoods have to be lost just so that some selfish people can get hold of prime land in Lusaka?
I know who is to blame for this.
PF you will not vote sympathy from setting markets on fire you son of bichez.
This is why PF cadres should stop running markets, this behavior is terrorism.
Burning markets so AVIC can build another one at an inflated price
What Zambians do not realize is that even the town centre market has stalls like those that caught fire at COMESA Market.
Insurance? Then government would not have to worry about who bank roll the reconstruction!
US $42 million ransom!
Sad.r.I.p
GOD WILL ONE DAY PUNISH THE PERPETRATOR TORCHING THESE MARKETS. I KNOW WE SHALL RISE EVEN FROM THESE ASHES LIKE A NOBLE EAGLE IN ITS FLIGHT. ONE DAY WE SHALL RISE TO KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF DEMOCRACY. YES WE SHALL RISE TO KNOW THAT “MY BROTHER WITH A DIFFERENT POLITICAL PERSUASION OR TRIBAL ORIGIN, IS STILL MY BROTHER”. ITS TRUE, ONE DAY WE SHALL NOT REPAY PANGA FOR PANGA, BUT RISE TO BE MAGNANIMOUS ENOUGH AND SEEK THE GOOD OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. JUST ONE DAY…OH OUR GENERATION MAY NOT BE THERE. BUT THAT DAY SHALL SURELY COME. MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON ZAMBIA.
“TONGAS ARE BORN AS TRIBALISTS AND BITTER PEOPLE” says Kambwilii. Tribalist HH told a political rally that there will be Armageddon if he loses 2016 elections and surely he lost we started seeing these infernos across the country. In the absence of other causes we point to HH and his terrorist and tribal grouping UPND as people behind the burning down of this market. Katuka the other day was telling ECZ that they should not wait until Zambia is on fire; this can be taken to be part of what he meant. These people are really sadists, evil and a curse to Zambia, they don’t want good things to happen to Zambia as long as they are not in government. They want to drag us backwards until they deliver a TONGA president. IT WILL NEVER WORK.
Hehehehe citizen , tell those paying you to blog to just provide solutions and employment instead of stalking the IMF daily to borrow more money….
May her soul rest in peace.
Saimbwende–Why are you living with human beings? You do not fit in this society as your rightful place is the forest. Go back to the forest to live with animals who think like you. Do not force yourself on human beings.
Go back to the forest, you bigot.
Mapatizya Formula. Time to eradicate the cancer among us.
Kambwili was right before real demons came into him later.
Just half of $42/42, $21 million could have been used for fire saftey in all markets and the other $21 million used to for 21/42 , but the corrupt theives we have in GRZ are more intrested on self enrichment and pocketed $21 million from 42/42 for trucks we were told can see round corners ???
Very sad and MHRIP. For those mixing the tragedy with stu****politics, please there’s time for everything.
How many people are going to die from unsafe working conditions and cholera conditions before PF realise they are the GRZ and need to act ?
If were to go to any European nation in exchange for citizenship, that particular nation coming to occupy Zambia or indeed any other African country would develop within a short period of time while we reap and loot the economy of that particular nation in weeks. Sad!
I saw it coming, when i visited mother Zambia i had a stop over the so called COMESA my heart, then proceeded to Zimbabwe boy same. its sad
Who would believe me if i say HH is evil, everyone in PF, who would believe me if i say PF is useless everyone in the opposition. unfortunately that is our mindset, whoever is burning these markets his either sent by the pf or the opposition, if its pf then we have a propaganda government that wants to implicate others if its UPND then we have a people that are inhuman else we are a nation that have useless investigation team or police force, all these fires but no-one is arrested. If truly its the opposition doing this believe me someone would be in prison right now. ANYWAY RIP MAMA, MY CONDOLENCE TO THE FAMILY.
You call yourself wiser but you reason like a fool. Minister Mwale has said the government is yet to establish the cause of the inferno but there you are pointing at politicians. I am sure to don’t know that market associations in Zambia assign some of their members to provide security in the markets. It is therefore very likely that the fire was a result of negligence by those that were sleeping in the market on this particular night.
This is really sad..well I can’t wait to hear how this whole story unfolds..
People should stop blaming innocent people and political parties for the tragedies we are seeing in our country. All this is a result of poor planning and lack of seriousness. We’ve left this country to cadres and thugs to make decisions on our behalf and look at the results. Let’s put our heads together and reject this disorganization and corruption that has taken root in our midst. We will continue losing precious lives for as long as quick money remains our main preoccupation. We just can’t allow makeshift structures to be our trading places.
Comment:we shud just wait for the kingdom of God to come and rule,,wen Dre wil be piece
HH’s time is coming to an end. I predict with certainty. When it happened in Mufulira Animo Farm believed it was a random act. I wish I were a commanding officer of police in Lusaka today!
Driving from fire brigade offices to comesa market is 2mins without traffic which am sure that time around, roads in town where free, and we are told the fire brigade came to know after about 4hrs, does that makes sense?
really sad. those are wheelbarrows
This only happens when kalus’s party is headed for defeat. Those of you who had little hope about that tattooed pastor becoming an executive mayor of lsk,let it be known to you this is a bad signal.
Saimbwende, really, MHSRIEP
Zambians surely u are a jokes, full of short memories. Our police service wings are full of useless grade 12 failiers and we expect them to conduct thoroughly investigations on such market burnings. The service recruitment itself is a based on whose son or how connected one regardless of the education background. Its the same reason why in Zambia generally people do not resign their jobs but only get fired and this includes the private sector. So if i may ask if people with such mentality, how do we expect them to deliver good quality of service? The well known city market was burnt over 1year ago but no any report on their still on going investigations has come yet they are getting paid month end with full allowances on top. Nothing is being done for anything to change something. People…
We need precision to be put in please by market management and the govt ministry in charged, zesco fault, and other fire hazard mitigation to be in please. Not time to point at each other may the good lo Jesus Christ comfort the belief family.
My heart breeds to hear such stories, she was a bread winner for her family God heal the bereaved family.
Blood sacrifice Hagain.
Imprezza
Its true. Our family salute her. She was my late mother’s bread winner. She very responsible to our mother till she passed on 17/06/2017. We are going to deeply miss her. May her soul rest in peace