Sharjah: Ameera Bin Karam, 38, chairperson of Sharjah Business Women Council, her mother, Badriya, 57, and sister, Sama, 40, were laid to rest on Sunday in Sharjah.
They died of suffocation when a fire started in the living room, then swept through their Sharjah villa on Saturday around 4.40pm.
On Sunday afternoon, dozens of mourners bid an emotional farewell to the victims as their bodies were taken for burial in the graveyard.
Their funeral was attended by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and other high-ranking officials.
The funeral prayer was held at Al Sahaba Mosque at 12.30pm following the regular midday Dhuhur prayer.
Family and friends were joined by the community in prayers. People lent support to the bier — a movable frame used to carry the deceased — and a convoy escorted the vehicle carrying the bodies to Sharjah’s main graveyard. Loved ones and well-wishers followed behind.
Many were in tears and the silence was only broken by people sobbing and murmuring prayers under their breath. Later, the crowd dispersed, as many people moved on to a condolence majlis (gathering) set up at Mughaidir suburb.
Head of the family, Abdul Raheem, will accept condolences for men at Mughaidir suburb. Condolences from women will be accepted at the house of the family’s aunt in Dubai — Al Hamriyah near the youth club. Many people cancelled their events to show their respects — one Emirati man, for example, cancelled the wedding of his son which was supposed to be held this week.
Fire probe continues
Meanwhile, Sharjah Police are continuing investigation into the cause of the deadly fire that ripped through the villa in the Al Qadsiyah area of Sharjah on Saturday evening.
Forensic experts are expected to begin their investigations on Monday, after a two-day mandatory cooling period, officials said. From outside, the villa showed little signs of damage and the investigators were unable to pinpoint the cause of the fire which apparently started in the living room of the villa. A relative said there was a fire in the same house last year but no official confirmation was available. Two housemaids and a driver, who were also present in the house, escaped injuries.
On Saturday evening, firefighters sifted through the rubble of the burnt-out villa to determine the cause of the deadly blaze. They reached the scene of the incident shortly after the operations room received a call about the incident.
Lieutenant Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, director-general of the Sharjah Civil Defence, told Gulf News that they received a call around 4.34pm from a man saying there was a fire in their neighbour’s house. Firefighters from Sharjah headquarters and Samnan were involved in controlling the blaze. He said: “We immediately took the necessary precautions to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the villa.”
A 32-year-old brother, Khalid, was rescued and moved to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and later to Al Qasimi Hospital as his condition was stated to be serious, officials said. An official at Al Qasimi Hospital told Gulf News on Sunday that the Khalid is still in the ICU but his condition is stable now.
