7 Pakistanis die in house fire in Canada

Ag APP

CALGARY: Seven Pakistanis, including four children, have died in Canada when the house they were in caught fire, police said, Geo News reported.

Police said on Friday that the blaze tore through the home in Chestermere, just east of Calgary, at about 2.30am following Canada Day celebrations. Cpl. Tammy Keibel said a boy and a girl, both 12, an eight-year-old girl, and a four-year-old boy perished in the fire. A man and a woman, both thought to be 38-years-old, and another woman approximately age 35 also died.

An adult man and four children were able to escape the blaze, the officer said. Local media reported that the home was owned by Amjad Kamal, the man who survived the fire. Amjad, his wife and his five children were hosting his brother Asad Kamal and his wife and three children for a barbecue, after which they stayed overnight, the report said. The reason for the blaze was being investigated.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday expressed deep grief over the incident. “I am deeply grieved over the loss of Pakistani nationals in a fire incident. We are in contact with the Canadian authorities for investigation into the incident,” he said in a statement.

He also prayed for peace of the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family to bear the loss with fortitude. Qureshi said on his instructions, Pakistan’s High Commissioner and consulate in Vancouver were in constant contact with the victim’s family.

Earlier, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri also offered his condolences and said the preliminary investigation suggested the fire was not criminal in nature. “As per the relevant Canadian authorities, the cause of the fire is still unknown, however preliminary investigations indicate that it’s not criminal in nature.”