Six persons, including a groom, were on Saturday found dead in Akutara, Adani Community, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The victims attended a traditional wedding on Friday in Obollo-Eke, a community in Udenu Local Government Area of the state.
After the wedding, they returned and held another celebration. They all went to bed, but were found dead the following morning.
The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, has confirmed the incident.
He said when none of the wedding guests came out of their house the next day, the door was forced open and all of them were found unconscious with foamy discharge from their mouths.
“They were immediately moved to the hospital, where six of them were confirmed dead and deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while the others are responding to treatment,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered an investigation into the incident, Mr Ndukwe said.
Mr Ammani commiserated with the families and friends of the deceased.
He appealed to residents of the community to maintain peace and support the police with “necessary information” that will aid the investigation.
A community leader narrated how the incident happened.
He said the wedding guests, including the groom, were jubilating after the wedding, because they opened their new house on the same day.
“So, all of them went in. It was raining and there was a generator outside. They brought the generator inside the corridor. So, since they were drinking and didn’t know the implication of bringing the generator in the corridor, they slept off,” he said.
The community leader said, while the generator was still on, the guests went further to spread insecticide in the room to prevent mosquito bite.
“I think maybe carbon oxide filled the whole room. It was people that went there to greet them in the morning that broke the door and saw them all unconscious,” he said.
He said they were rushed to a nearby hospital in the community and that some of them survived.
“But six people died in the hospital,” he stated.