4 Fire Kids Buried

The four school children who died in a blaze at Nsunfa near Sowutuom in Accra last week were buried on Saturday at the Ablekuma Cemetery amidst uncontrollable wailing.

It was a solemn atmosphere, especially as their school mates chanted the Biblical 'Where is Our God?' to bid them farewell.

One of their mates, Afua Asiedua touched the hearts of many when she recalled the last time she and the deceased were together on Monday, a few hours before they went through the ordeal that ended their lives.

In tears she said, 'We however take consolation in the fact that children are friends of God and we know that you are resting in the bosom of God.'

A brass band was in full flight as school children from the Papty School Complex, Santa Maria, family members and sympathizers shed tears as the funeral service went on.

With tear-filled eyes, the children chanted, 'Where is our God?'  to let out their pain as the four caskets containing the remains of the  deceased were lined up at the auditorium of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana,  Kwashieman branch, awaiting the funeral rites.

The deceased, Linnette Brenya, 9, Freda Brenya, 6, Terry Arthur Halm, 5, and Eugene Osei, 5, met their untimely death on the evening of Monday June 13, 2011 when fire engulfed their five bedroom apartment.

Their individual pictures were pasted on their coffins with their names boldly inscribed, as family members, class and school mates and the Children's Service of the Presbyterian Church took turns to eulogise the departed ones.

Mothers of the deceased namely, Freda Brenya and Louisa Boakye Dankwa, and cousins were supported by family members to weather the difficult moments preceding the burial.

In a sermon, Reverend Andrews Donkor, Head Pastor of the Kwashieman Branch of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, urged parents to consider the loss as part of God's will for mankind.

Basing his sermon on the book of Ruth and Job in the Bible, he urged parents to still have faith in God and believe in him.

'In times like this, when all hopes are gone and hearts shattered, we usually ask; where is our God? But I tell you, do not be blinded by the bitterness that you are experiencing, for God is on your side,' he told the parents.

He urged mothers-in-law and other family members to show love and support to the aggrieved mothers instead of causing more pain to them through the blame-game.

Reverend Donkor urged the bereaved families to take consolation in the Scripture any time the memories of the children come to mind.

A family tribute described Linnette Brenya as the family's lawyer, Little Freda Brenya as a doctor, Terry Arthur Halm a pastor and Eugene Osei Kwame Aidoo an engineer who could not fulfill their dreams.

The pupils of Papty School Complex, and Children Service saluted the dear departed friends as their remains were moved to the Ablekuma Cemetery for interment around 10.00am.

The four kids, three of whom were siblings, died in a fire that engulfed their three bedroom self-contained residence at Nsunfa near Sowutuom in Accra late Monday.

Their grandmother had left them as she went to see the landlord over a rent-related issue when she was told about the blaze.

By the time she returned, the kids were dead.
The deceased's uncle, one Bismarck Arthur who attempted to save their lives, also sustained various degrees of burns and is now receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

By Linda Tenyah