A middle-aged petty trader on Wednesday lost her life while drawing water from a well in her residence at Ogechukwu street, Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The deceased, who was said to be epileptic, had gone into a fit while fetching water from the well, throwing her into it, resulting in her drowning.

The deceased died at about 7am Wednesday morning when she was brought out of the well.

Some of the residents in the area, who described the incident as tragic, said she was attempting to draw water from the well with a rope when the fit suddenly took over her, throwing her into the well.

A resident of the area, who gave her name as Justina, blamed the incident on her relatives and neighbours, saying they should not have allowed her to fetch the water herself as her health condition was very well known to people around.

Another neighbour, who preferred anonymity, dismissed the claim by the former, saying the deceased had been fetching water from the well all through the years she lived in the compound.

“That was not the first time she fetched water from the well. Even though she suffered from epilepsy, she had been engaged in some other tedious activities, including visiting village markets where she purchased the fruits she sold.

“I think she was just destined to die today. If not, she could have successfully fetched the water the way she had always done,” he said.

The corpse was said to have been rescued by an expert swimmer who jumped into the well with the assistance of a rope tied to a ladder.

When DAILY POST visited the scene of the incident, residents of the area and other sympathisers were seen at the compound, expressing shock over the incident as well as consoling the family of the deceased.