Malawi Police arrest 42 ‘looters’ after Mzimba market fire

At least 42 people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in looting shops at the gutted Mzimba Market which has pushed off 400 vendors out of business and goods worth millions damaged on Sunday March 8 2015.

Mzimba Police Station spokesperson Gabriel Chiona has said that the suspected looters were arrested during the inferno and that they will appear before the court of law soon after investigations are over.

A security commentator Edward Mpanda observed that cases of looting or stealing property when an accident like fires occur are very common in Malawi as most often there is no security to check on the malpractice and that the case is so complex as everyone is seen as operating rescue services.

“It is bad, suffice to say, it is not easy to detect who is acting in good faith or taking advantage of the fracas so it is not just a matter of non availability of security but failure to trace a real owner of the goods or property being removed,” observed Mpanda.

Mzimba Market Working Committee Chairperson lamented that a considerable number of goods that could have been saved was looted during the fire

The District Commissioner Thomas Chirwa  said that the report he has is that power went off around  seven in the morning but that just after 10 minutes it was restored and some sparks were noticed at an electric pole which resulted in fire that spread to the shops and salons nearby before the whole market was under siege.