News

Dealing with the massive loss after Bronx fire

Friday, March 09, 2007

Funeral services for five of the victims will be held in the city next week. The other four burials will take place in Mali.

Five people are still in the hospital this morning:

  • A girl is still fighting for her life at Jacobi Medical Hospital, also listed in critical condition.
  • Another girl remains in stable condition at Cornell Medical Center.
  • At Lincoln Hospital, a 5-year-old girl and 45-year-oldwoman is in stable condition. A 6-year-old is in guarded condition.

    The traumatized children were visited by Mali's ambassador to the U.N., Cheick Sidi Diarre.

    Eyewitness News reporter, Jen Maxfield has more on the survivors and on Mamadou Soumarie, whose wife phoned him from inside the burning home.

    Emergency responders worked furiously to save as many children as they could from the devastating house fire. But Soumarie's wife, his 7-month-old twins and 3-year-old son all died in the blaze.

    Soumarie said he tried to save his family but could not reach them soon enough. The livery cab driver was in Manhattan when his wife called him hysterical. Saying the house was on fire and she and the babies were trapped.

    Soumarie says, "She called and say I'm in the building and the fire is downstairs and I may die with my kids."

    Seven-month-old twins died along with their brother Djibril and mother, Mariam Sibibe.

    The other family living in the High Bridghome lost five young sons. Five of her eleven children are now gone. Two others are hospitalized.

    "Losing your family overnight, is a tragedy here. We are asking everyone to pray right now for a grieving mother," said Dr. Dolores Blakely of the U.N. African Liaison.

    Family members are leaning on each other in the wake of such profound loss.

    (Copyright ©2009 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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