A 17-year-old Petauke girl has committed suicide after her family told her she was too young to get married.

In a statement today, Police spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo stated that Iveta Mbewe took a maize preservative pesticide.

“A girl aged 17 years identified as Iveta Mbewe of Kalando village, Chief Mumbi in Petauke District committed suicide by taking maize preservative pesticide. Brief facts are that the family discouraged the deceased from getting married to her boyfriend aged 20 years of the same village on the basis that she was young to get married. Not happy with the family decision, the Iveta decided to take her life by swallowing the pesticide. This happened on 1st September, 2018 at about 19 00 hours at her village. She was rushed to Minga Mission Hospital where she later died at about 22:00 hours,” stated Katongo.