12-year-old boy hangs himself after argument with brother over household chores on Christmas Day

Malawi: A 12-year-old boy named Precious Katsongo hanged himself in his bedroom after a disagreement with his older brother over household chores in Dowa on Christmas Day, according to Sub Inspector Gladson M'bumpha, Public Relations Officer for Dowa Police Station.

The incident occurred at around 8:00 AM on December 25, 2022, at Kankhande Village in the Traditional Authority Chiwere area of Dowa District.

It is reported that Precious and his 16-year-old brother Frank were assigned household chores and when Precious requested to clean utensils instead of sweeping outside, Frank denied the request.

This led to an argument between the two brothers, and Precious became angry and retreated to the house.

A few minutes later, Precious' sister discovered him hanging from the roof of the bedroom.

Neighbours were alerted and advised the sister to report the incident to village elders.

The police and a medical team from Dowa District Hospital were called to the scene, and a postmortem examination revealed that Precious died from suffocation. No foul play is suspected.

In light of this tragic event, police are urging parents and guardians to be vigilant and watchful of their children's actions to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Precious was a resident of Kankhande Village in the Traditional Authority Chiwere area of Dowa District.