Six Pakistanis, including four of a family, burnt to death in UAE house fire

Bodies reach Islamabad after being handed over to Pakistan Embassy officials

Four members of a family among six Pakistani nationals were burnt to death while a man sustained wounds after fire broke out in their home in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain last week, Pakistani officials said on Monday.

The deceased included Muhammad Farouq, Omer Farouq, Khurram Farouq, Khayal Afzal, Eid Nawaz Khan and Ali Haider, the Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that Mohammad Raheem, 50, sustained minor injuries in Friday’s incident.

According to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) media, the fire started in a small room, where several flammable items were stored, including a generator, gas pipes, air conditioners and wood. The deceased were asleep when their residence caught fire.

Meanwhile, the bodies have been repatriated to Islamabad, Khaleej Times reported. The bodies were sent through PIA and dispatched onwards to their home towns, the UAE daily quoted Pakistan Embassy officials as saying.



Three of the bodies were sent to Kohat, one to Hangu, one to Peshawar and one to Dera Adam Khan.

Commenting on the tragedy, Zulfi Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development (HRD), said, "My prayers go out to the families of the six overseas Pakistanis who lost their lives in the tragic fire in Al Ain."

"Each of our hardworking brothers abroad matter and we are responsible for taking care of them. My team is doing everything possible to facilitate their loved ones," he said.

My prayers go out to the families of the 6 #OverseasPakistanis who lost their lives in the tragic fire at Al-Ain #UAE.Each of our hardworking brothers abroad matter & we are responsible for taking care of them-my team is doing everything possible to facilitate their loved ones. https://t.co/vkTMSe8s4w

— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) April 15, 2019

In a tweet, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and HRD said that the families are being facilitated by the ministry, Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) and the Pakistani mission.

"The OPF provided ambulance service for transportation of the deceased to their homes," it said.

6 #Pakistanis, including four of a family, died after a fire broke out in their home in Zakher in Al-Ain, #UAE on Friday morning.SAPM @sayedzbukhari has directed that families be facilitated & all necessary arrangements be made for repatriation of bodies to #Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/j6syuHsHPA

— Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HRD (@mophrd) April 14, 2019