Manila: Government agencies have been instructed to fast-track efforts to assist families of 13 Filipino expatriate workers who died in a hotel fire in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan province last week.

Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, in a statement, said she has given instructions to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Rebecca Calzado to expedite the delivery of welfare assistance to the families of those killed after a fire gutted the Capitol Hotel in Arbil last Friday.

Baldoz said Philippine labour officials in Iraq are in the process of determining who among the victims are members of OWWA, the welfare arm of the government for its expatriate nationals working abroad.

She said for non-OWWA members, the National Reintegration Centre for overseas Filipino workers would be providing assistance.

Legal heirs of OWWA members who die in accidents are entitled to a death benefit of Peso 200,000 (Dh15,336) and P100,000 if the death is due to a natural cause. Aside from this, the bereaved family are also entitled to a P20,000 funeral benefit.

The family can also avail a scholarship programme that provides up to P60,000 (Dh4,630) per school year for courses leading to a four-to-five year baccalaureate degree in any college or university. They are also entitled to Education and Livelihood Assistance Programme for survivors of deceased OFWs consisting of P5,000 expense subsidy for elementary, P8,000 for high school, and P10,000 for college (per school year) and livelihood assistance of P15,000 for the surviving spouse.

Aside from the 13 Filipinos, six other people — three Iraqis, a Palestinian and another person with an undetermined nationality, died from the conflagration.

On Saturday, the presidential palace said it had already sent personnel to assist Philippine consulate officials bringing home the remains of the Filipino fire victims, whom reports said were all female.

“We are very sad about this. It’s a terrible way to die. There were many victims,” he said.

Charge d’affaires Elmer Cato, earlier told Gulf News that the United Nations had assisted in identifying the victims.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government has ruled out terrorism in the incident,” he said.

Cato added that investigators are looking into the possibility that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring.