British sisters die of gas leak in Mirpur

MIRPUR: Two British sisters have been found dead in a bathroom from a suspected gas leak in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Maria, 24, and Nadia Rehman, 17, were discovered collapsed on the floor at a home. Medics dashed them to hospital in critical condition but the siblings from Preston, Lancs. could not be saved on January 12. Maria and Nadia were travelling with parents Abdul and Zarina Rehman for the anniversary of their grandfather’s funeral. The couple are still in Pakistan as local authorities probe the deaths.

Local media claims the parents are not considering legal action as they have “accepted the deaths as an accident”. Relatives at the family home in Preston on Saturday were too upset to talk but Abdul’s first wife Sheila Rehman, 72, who is stepmum to the girls, hit out at rumours over the deaths.

Some have claimed Maria and Nadia were killed for honour but Sheila told The Sun: “We know exactly what happened, it was a gas leak. “There have been rumors across Facebook that are not true. “My children are their sisters, we are all just deeply shocked and very sad. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sheila’s oldest daughter Roxanna, 42, was flying out to Pakistan to help support devastated Abdul and Zarina. One of her neighbours in Tinsley, Sheffield, told The Sun: “Sheila’s daughter Roxanna told us what had happened.

“She said Maria and Nadia had died, but it wasn’t clear how they died. “We were all shocked, we knew the girls. It’s terrible.” A post-mortem is due to take place and local authorities are probing the deaths.

It comes after a 16-year-old girl in Mumbai died from carbon monoxide poisoning that was caused by a gas geyser fitted in a bathroom on Thursday. Geysers use gas burners to heat water for showers. Users are advised to keep windows open because the gas needs oxygen to keep burning. Cutting off the oxygen supply can be fatal.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following the death of two British women in Gujrat, and have offered consular support to the family.”