Muscat: The four bodies of the victims of the Muttrah fire, which happened in Muscat last Saturday, were sent back to India on Tuesday.
Ashokan Poyyayil, 42, a tailor by profession, his wife Bindu and their two sons Sharon (11) and Sharang (seven) died when their home, which had a corrugated steel roof and was made of plywood, caught fire last Saturday morning.
The entire house was engulfed by flames and all four reportedly died in their sleep. It’s thought that the blaze was triggered by an electrical short circuit.
Two brothers of Ashokan, Dilip Poyyayil and Prijeet Poyyayil, accompanied the bodies, according to Ashraf K.H. of Indian Scoail Club’s Kerala Wing.
Ashraf and other members of the Kerala Wing coordinated with the family and authorities here to send the bodies back home.
“The entire expenses, including embalming and coffin were paid for by the Indian Embassy,” Ashraf told Gulf News.
He said the bodies were sent to Mangalore by Air India Express where they will be received by relatives of the family. The Poyyayil family is from the Cannanore in Kerala, the southern state of India.
“Parents of both Ashokan and his wife are in great grief in India after the tragedy with the family in which children also died,” said Asraf adding that so far nothing has been salvaged from the charred debris of the house.
“Ashokan’s brothers have said that family jewellery was at home, so now, with the embassy officials, we will inquire with the Royal Oman Police (ROP) if any of it [jewellery] was discovered while clearing the burnt remains of the house,” he said.
