Dubai: At least 13 Pakistanis including seven children were burnt to death when their house caught fire in Jordan.
The incident happened on early Monday morning when a blaze tore through their corrugated metal home in a rural area of western Jordan, authorities said. Three people were also injured and were taken to a local hospital.
Pakistani Embassy official in Amman confirmed the incident. “Yes, it is very unfortunate incident happened here close to Amman.”
“It is sadly informed that 13 Pakistani nationals including seven children and four women and two men living in Jordan have expired due to fire which broke out in their tent. The fire reportedly broke around 2am on December 2. The cause of th fire has been reported to be short circuit,” says a statement sent to Gulf News by the Pakistan Embassy in Jordan.
The statement further reads: “Three Pakistanis were also injured due to the incident and are in stable condition. All the victims were residing near Karama city which about 40km west of Amman near the Dead Sea. As per reports, the local fire bridage responded to the incident.
“The victims belonged to a Joya family from Dadu district in Sindh Province. The head of the family Ali Sher Joya has survived the incident. The family reportedly migrated from Pakistan to Jordan in 1970s and were associated with the agriculture/farming profession.”
The Pakistan Embassy spokesperson told Gulf News that they embassy is in contact with the family and relatives of the deceased residing in Jordan. “The family members have indicted that they will bury the bodies in Jordan,” the spokesperson said.
A consular team headed by the Head of Chancery Hasnain Haider is with the family to provide assistance.
Rescue services in Amman said: “13 people died and three others were injured when fire broke out in a corrugated metal house on a farm in South Shona, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Amman.
The makeshift building was home to two Pakistani families working as agricultural labourers.”
Fire service spokesman Iyad al-Omari told state television channel Al-Mamlaka that eight children, four women and a man had died in the blaze at around 2am, which was likely caused by an electrical fault.
Jordan is home to thousands of Pakistanis, many of them agricultural labourers. House fires in Jordan are often caused by the use of cheap but dangerous forms of heating while the occupants are asleep.
Prime Minister of Jordan Omar Razzaz instructed the ministers of interior and health to follow up the consequences of the fire as committee was set up to probe the fire cause of the fire.
The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of coordination between the General Directorate of the Civil Defence and the relevant authorities to speed up the investigation process. He also advised to expand the awareness campaign during winter to avoid occurence of such incidents.
