AMMAN: Thirteen Pakistanis including eight children died early yesterday when a blaze tore through their corrugated metal home in a rural area of western Jordan, authorities said. Rescue services 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 km west of Amman. The makeshift building was home to two Pakistani families working as agricultural laborers, they said in a statement.
HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent yesterday a cable to Pakistani President Arif Alvi, expressing condolences over the Pakistani nationals who lost their lives in the fire. HH the Amir also sent a cable of condolences to Jordan's King Abdullah II. He expressed sorrow over the victims and wished speedy recovery for those injured. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables.

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 2:00 am, which was likely caused by an electrical fault. Jordan is home to thousands of Pakistanis, many of them agricultural laborers. House fires in Jordan are often caused by the use of cheap but dangerous forms of heating while the occupants are asleep. Jordan has in recent years seen several deadly incidents among Syrian refugees living in camps during the winter, such as fires caused by electrical faults or choking from domestic gas stoves. - Agencies