Read < 1 minute

Seven members of the same family were burnt to death when fire swept through a house they were sleeping in Zambia’s Chongwe district in Lusaka Province, the police said on Tuesday.

The fire is alleged to have been sparked by the owner of the house who was pouring petrol in a container, according to police spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo.

The police spokesperson said the incident occurred on Monday night in a remote area of the district and that the owner of the house escaped, while a 12-year-old boy also survived the inferno.

The ages of the deceased range from one year to six years, she added.

Fire accidents are common in Zambia’s rural areas where most houses are grass-thatched.