A crying baby girl has been discovered crawling around close to the dead bodies of five family members in Fiji.
The tragic sight was initially discovered by a man on horseback who had been searching for his cattle in the Nausori Highlands. The bodies were discovered on a cliff in the scenic sightseeing destination on Monday, August 26.
The man was able to flag down a passing vehicle for assistance. The surviving child has been named as one-year-old Sumaira Kumar, and is reported to be the niece of one of the deceased.
Kelera Toloi, 25, came across two vehicles at the scene while on the way to pick something up from a farm, and learned there was a living child among the dead.
Upon seeing the cold and hungry child for herself, Kelera changed the little girl’s nappy and fed her from a bottle. Kelera noted it was fortunate Sumaira wasn’t yet able to walk, as she would have been at risk of falling from the cliff.
As reported by the Fiji Sun, Kelera said:
As a mother, it is a very sad scenario. I am really sad to see that. I grabbed her and changed her soggy diaper straight away and fed her two milk bottles.
By the looks of it, she was hungry but I wonder what inhumane mind could have done such a thing. Fortunately she did not walk or she would have fallen off the cliff.
32-year-old carrier driver Mohammed Javid was the individual who retrieved Sumaira from the cliff, before calling the police.
As reported by the Fiji Sun, Mohammed said:
One man stopped me to say a baby was crying there. When I checked, there was a baby there and five bodies.
We brought the baby, who was alive and crying, and then I called the police. It was the first time I saw such a horrific incident after 14 years of travelling in this area.
Sumaira was then taken to hospital while the area was cordoned off for a police investigation. The deceased family members have since been named as Nirmal Kumar, 63, his wife Usha Devi, 54, their daughter Nileshni Kajal 34, and granddaughters, aged 11 and eight.
The results of post mortem examination suggest all five family members died as a result of ingesting a toxic substance. Investigators are said to be interviewing a person of interest, who had been known to the family.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.