FO confirms deaths of 13 Pakistanis in Jordan fire incident

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Monday confirmed the death of 13 Pakistani nationals including seven children, four women and two men in Jordan fire incident. In a statement, the FO spokesperson said that three other Pakistanis were also injured in the fire incident and are reported to be in stable condition. He said that all the victims were residing near Karameh city which is 40 kilometers west of Amman near the Dead Sea. He said that 13 Pakistani nationals living in Jordan have dead due to a fire that broke out in their tent. He also said that the victims belonged to Joyia Family from Dadu District in Sindh province and added that the head of family, Ali Sher Joyia, has survived in the incident. Reportedly, the family was migrated from Pakistan to Jordan in 1970s and associated with the agriculture/farming profession. It was also reported that the fire broke out around 2am at night on December 2, 2019. The cause of fire has been reported as short circuit, he noted. Dr Mohammad Faisal informed that the Pakistan Embassy in Amman is in contact with the family and relatives of the deceased residing in Jordan. He also added that the ambassador and other senior officials are with family to provide any urgent assistance. On the other hand, the Jordanian authorities are also extending full cooperation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the embassy to extend assistance to the bereaved family. Earlier, thirteen Pakistanis, including eight children, died when a fire swept through their makeshift dwellings on a farming estate in the Jordan Valley, Jordan’s civil defence said on Monday. There were three other injuries in the fire that broke out after midnight that initial signs showed could have been an electrical fire, civil defence spokesman Iyad al Amre said in a statement. Thousands of foreign labourers live in wretched conditions in private farms in the Jordan Valley, a fertile vegetable and fruit growing area.