Children suffocate in trunk

Lithuania is reeling over a freak tragedy that has taken the lives of four children who were playing on a farm in the village of Deglenai, Pasvalys district, in northern Lithuania on June 19.

They hid themselves in a 19th century wooden trousseau chest, once commonly used for keeping brides' dresses, linen and other belongings, and suffocated inside.

Trunks like these are a common site in Lithuania and are kept in many village houses as antiques.

Three of those who died, 4-year-old Nerijus Noreika, 8-year-old Dalius Noreika, and their sister Alvyda, 5, were the children of the farm's owners Alvydas Noreika, 30, and Dalia Noreikiene, 29.

The fourth child, 9-year-old Jonas Jurevicius, was a favorite playmate.

The Noreikas have a flat in the village and a farmstead to keep cattle, pigs and poultry.

On the day of the tragedy, the couple made the trip to a new house, currently under construction, in the nearby district of Pakruojis. They asked Virginijus Bakanauskas, 27, Dalia Noreikiene's brother, to look after their four children, including one-and-a-half-year-old Ugne.

Jonas came over from his home, situated about 1 kilometer away, to play with his friends as usual. Ugne was too little to play with them.

"In the evening, I noticed Ugne was almost asleep and took her to bed. I was sleepy, too, so I took a nap for about 15 minutes," Bakanauskas recounted, crying.

When he woke up he missed the rest of the children.

He went to a nearby lake, shouting the children's names. Neighbors helped Bakanauskas in the search, and later police also joined in.

Only at 2 p.m. the following day did one policeman get the idea to look in the old chest. Medics quickly arrived on the scene but could only confirm that their help was unnecessary.

There were signs that the children had tried desperately to get out. They had scratches and their nails were broken.

"The children climbed into the open chest and closed the lid. But the lid was too heavy for them to open again," said Danute Daunoraviciute, a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian police.

The parents are still in shock. Noreikiene blamed Jonas, the neighbors' son who also died. "He always got crazy ideas. My brother is not guilty," she said.

She added that she had had a presentiment of the disaster. In the early evening of that tragic day, she called the farm from her mobile phone, but nobody answered.

On June 20, the entire village of Deglenai took part in the funeral. The four children were buried in small white coffins. The family will put the property up for sale as soon as possible.