Three siblings dead after tragic insecticide mishap

Police in the Ashanti Region are investigating the tragic death of three siblings suspected to have been killed by an insecticide used to drive away bedbugs from a room they slept in.

The incident occurred on December 28, 2023, when 15-year-old Judith Ekua Frans and her siblings, 11-year-old Christian Magdaline Efua Frans, and six-year-old Nana Benin, were visiting their grandmother in Asawase for the holidays.

Their uncle, Anthony Frans, while preparing a room for the children’s stay, applied an insecticide, Toptoxin Fumigation tablet, also known as ‘bomb,’ to disinfect the room against bedbugs. The three siblings, along with their grandmother, 66-year-old Ekua Gyaabena, slept in the room that night.

Tragically, the following morning, the three siblings and their grandmother were discovered unconscious. The two siblings, Christian Magdaline Efua Frans and Nana Benin, died upon arrival at the hospital, while the grandmother and Judith Ekua Frans were admitted.

Judith Ekua Frans later died while on admission.

Assembly Member for the Asawase East Electoral area, Mathew Amissah, narrated the incident to Citi News and said the incident has thrown the community into grief.

“I was informed about the incident by a friend in my electoral area while on a visit to the hospital. I rushed to the ward and realized two of the victims had passed on. The grandmother and the eldest niece were also on admission to the Emergency Center ward of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further treatment. I assisted them, and we came to the police station, and the uncle of the deceased who applied the chemical was arrested and detained,” he explained.

Anthony Frans appeared in court on January 9, 2024, facing provisional murder charges in connection with the incident. Prosecutors sought additional time for investigations, a request which was later granted by the court.

Despite the severity of the charges, Defense Counsel Evans Amankwaah successfully secured bail for the accused, emphasizing the need for his client’s rights to be upheld during the ongoing investigations. The accused was granted a GHC20,000 bail sum with two sureties.

Meanwhile, the Asawase East Assembly Member has begun public engagement on the proper use of chemicals for disinfection purposes.