Six Pakistanis,including four of a family, killed in UAE villa fire,bodies arrived

Six Pakistani men, including four of a family, were killed after a fire broke out in a villa in Al Ain's Zakher area, the police said on Sunday. The tragedy was reported at 5.53am on Friday.

The police said the survivors of the fire failed to inform the police as soon as it broke out, causing it to spread rapidly. Two men at the scene tried to put out the blaze on their own, but failed to do so, Khaleej Times reported.

The deceased have been identified as Omer Farouq (23); his elder brother Khurram (27); their father Farouq, who was in his 50s; their relative, Ali Haider; and two family friends, Khayal Afdal and Eid Nawaz.

A lone survivor of the tragedy, Mohammed Raheem, 50, who was visiting the family from Dubai, told Khaleej Times that he escaped by smashing open the aluminium roof of a bathroom. "I tried to pull Omer out, but he fell unconscious after suffocating due to the smoke," said Raheem, who works as a driver.

According to him, Omer, Khurram, Khayal and Eid were sleeping in one room, while he, Farooq and Ali were sleeping in another. "I woke up because of the heat. By the time we realised there was a fire, it had spread all over. Omer and Haider tried to reach the other room, but it was impossible because of the raging flames. I escaped by God's grace, but I am struggling to cope with the loss of my friends," said Raheem.

He said the neighbours called the civil defence, after which a team arrived at the spot. The victims were rushed to Al Ain Hospital, where the six men were declared brought dead.

Bodies of six Pakistanis who were burnt to death in Al Ain on Friday morning were repatriated on a PIA flight on Monday morning, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Times reported.

The six men lost their lives on Friday when a fire broke out in a villa in Al Ain's Zakher area. Four of the men belonged to the same family.

According to Khaleej Times, police said that the sole survivor of the incident failed to inform the police as soon as the fire broke out.

The deceased have been identified as Omer Farouq; his elder brother Khurram; their father Farouq, their relative Ali Haider; and two family friends, Khayal Afdal and Eid Nawaz.

According to the foreign office, the remains arrived at the Islamabad International Airport at 10:40am today and have now been transported to their hometowns by Overseas Pakistanis Foundation's (OPF) Free Ambulance Service.

Three of the bodies are being transported to Kohat, one to Hangu, one to Peshawar and one to Darra Adam Khel.

UAE residents on Sunday offered funeral prayers for the people who had lost their lives before their bodies were flown to Pakistan.