Freak tree accident kills five family members in northern Tanzania

Five members of the same family have died in northern Tanzania's district of Arumeru after a cluster fig tree landed on their house when they were asleep, police said Tuesday.

Charles Mkumbo, Arusha Regional Police Commander confirmed the accident, saying it occurred at around 2 am local time Tuesday in a village located on the slopes of Mount Meru, Tanzania's second highest peak after Mount Kilimanjaro.

According to the regional police chief, the family members lost their lives after their house got flattened by a cluster fig tree in Ng'iresi village, some seven kilometers off Arusha city.

Amon Melani, Ng'iresi Village Chairperson said the family was in deep sleep when the cluster fig tree fell off the hill and landed on the house's rooftop, flattening it down and killing its occupants instantly.

The village chairperson attributed the cause of midnight incident to the ongoing heavy rains punctuated by strong winds witnessed in the region lately.

Hassan Charles, a village in Ng'iresi said there was a loud thunder followed by a loud bang when the incident struck.

"Moments after the thunder we heard voices of people calling for help, we rushed to the scene only to find a better part of the house covered by the tree," said Charles.

The size of the tree made it difficult to save all the five members from the flattened house, according to Charles. Endit