Liberia: One Fatality and Eight Cases of Fainting Due to Heat Exhaustion During President Boakai’s Inauguration

What started as a joyful moment took a sad turn as reports suggest that one diaspora Liberian has died and eight additional people have fainted due to extreme heat exhaustion during the Boakai-Koung’s inauguration.

The newly elected president of the Republic of Liberia, Joseph N. Boakai, was the first to experience the tension of heat exhaustion at the inaugural ceremony.

After a little over 30 minutes in his speech, President Boakai had to be rushed out of the stage due to his inability to continue the program. Boakai’s heat exhaustion has been widely reported across the world with members of the opposition community claiming that it was due to ill-health.

While a lot of his critics hold this belief, reports from home-based journalists have declared that over eight people fainted along with one person dying due to the situation that unfolded (heat exhaustion). According to Front Page Africa, an Executive Protection Officer (EPS) and an Armed Forces Officer were among the people affected.

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The one fatality record was a man named Duason V. Kamara. Mr. Kamara fled from the United States of America to form a part of the inaugural ceremony, only for him to meet his untimely death.

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He was reportedly pronounced dead at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital – where he was rushed after he fell off.

One of the Unity Party’s partisans, Boakai Jaleiba, wrote on Facebook:

“Tragically, we mourn the loss of a life at today’s inauguration. Dauson Kamara, who ventured from the comforts of his home in the US to witness history in Liberia, faced an unfortunate fate. He arrived only yesterday in Liberia.

Despite his anticipation, he succumbed to the oppressive heat levels that marked this historic day. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

It is also reported that his colleague, Melvin Nah, who also came from the US, is in intensive care as the result of the heat levels. Our prayers are with him as well.”