25-year-old Sara Achot and her baby girl were crushed to death by a falling tree trunk, as she tried to rescue the 4-year-old. | Photo: Courtesy.

Police in Wau of Western Bahr el Ghazal State have arrested a man and woman on Tuesday in connection with the accidental killing of a pregnant mother and her child by a falling tree.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at a residential area in Wau town.

Acting Police Commissioner, Major General James Simon said 25-year-old Sara Achot and her baby daughter were fatally crushed by falling tree truck, as she scrambled to rescue the 4-year-old.

Unknown to the tree-cutter, the toddler was playing under the palm tree, at the time of the incident.

General James said to Eye Radio, that the incident is a crime of negligence under the law.

“Today [Tuesday], in the morning, we had an accident and for the law, but it can be understood as a negligence. The accident happened in Nazareth and the person involved is called Akona Kang, she is Sergeant in police,” said General James to Eye Radio.

He said, Akona Kang, the suspected culprit and sergeant in the police, had hired a man to cut down a tree in her compound, when it fell on the woman and her daughter.

“She has hired somebody called Garang Aboi to go and cut down a tree in her compound for a reason that she wants to do something with it but when the tree failed down, the tree killed two people.”

The state police official confirmed, that the Sergeant and her employee identified as Garang Aboi have been arrested.

“When we received the information, we immediately dispatched police forces to the area of accident together with an investigator and now the two culprits have been arrested and taken to the jail.”

He further said the case will be forwarded to the court in front of the judge in two days.

The official cautions that the random cutting of trees is a crime, and that any individual falling a tree must first inform the Ministry of Agriculture and that of Environment.

“My advice to the public is, when cutting down a tree, you have to inform your neighbor and also supposed to have acquired a permission from the ministry of Agriculture and the ministry should see an expert, those who know how to cute down trees so that they can go and implement it at your home.”