2 Kids Trapped To Death

The lifeless body of Yussif Mensah and Joel Tetteh. Inset: the taxi cabbie

TWO YOUNG BOYS were on Saturday found dead in an abandoned car at a mechanic workshop at Labadi in Accra.

The workshop, known as Oshiapim Fitting Shop, belonged to a mechanic by name Adjei Adjetey Lomo.

The children, who were identified as Yussif Mensah, five years and Joel Tetteh, four years, allegedly went missing for some hours after going out to play.

The owner of the shop later spotted the children trapped inside the vehicle, as they lay dead and reported the matter to the police.

An eyewitness told the paper that the kids lived with their parents near the fitting shop at Labadi.

On that fateful day, the children went playing but never returned.

Owner of the fitting shop, Mr Adjei Adjetey later discovered the bodies of the children in a broken down Geo Prism taxi cab brought to the shop for repairs and consequently reported the matter to the Labadi District Police.

Confirming the story to DAILY GUIDE, DSP Wilson Kudze, the Labadi District Police Commander, said the police received the news of the kids' death around 2:00pm Saturday afternoon.

He said Mr Adjei Adjetey told the police that when he got to the shop on that day, the black and yellow Geo Prism taxi with registration number GS 3177 Z was locked, with the children lying dead on the back seat of the vehicle.

Preliminary investigations suggested that the children might have been trapped inside the car when they entered it to play.

DSP Kudze said evidence showed that the kids got trapped, and nothing was detected to suggest foul play.

Fathers of both kids were invited to the station and they had since identified the bodies of their respective children, which were deposited at the Police Hospital morgue pending autopsy.

DSP Kudze called on parents to be vigilant on their children.

He also urged fitting shop owners to always ensure that broken down vehicles brought to their shops were properly locked up to prevent children from entering inside to play.

'Even if it is not locked, the glasses must be lowered for ventilation in case of any uncertainty.'

By Linda Tenyah, Labadi