Saturday, Oct 22, 2016

Sharjah

Three women, including a top official died when fire broke out at a villa in Sharjah on Saturday, official sources said.

Ameera Bin Karam, chairperson of Sharjah Business Women Council, died in the fire which also killed her mother and sister. The Emirati mother, Badriya , 57, her two daughters Ameera, 38 and Sama, 40, died of suffocation when their villa went up in flames on Saturday at around 4.30pm, official sources said.

Her 32-year-old brother Khalid was rescued and moved to Al Kuwaiti hospital and later to Al Qassimi hospital as his condition was stated to be serious, officials said.

On Saturday evening, firefighters were sifting through the rubble of the burnt-out villa in Al Qadisyah area of Sharjah to determine the cause of the deadly blaze. They reached the scene of the incident shortly after the operations room received a call about the incident.

Senior officials from Civil Defence and police also reached the villa and monitored the operation.

The bodies of the three victims were moved to Al Kuwaiti hospital.

An official at Sharjah Civil Defence said that they received call from a man saying there was fire in their neighbour’s house.

When firefighters reached the villa, they found that the fire started in the living room and the family members were sleeping at that time. The smoke engulf the house and entered other parts of the villa, which resulted in the death of the three women, the officials said.

Funeral will be held on Sunday after Dhuhur prayer at Al Sahaba mosque in Sharjah.

Tributes pour in

Meanwhile, Tributes poured in from around the country for Bin Karam, who was the Founding member and President of Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP).

Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, took to twitter to express her sadness over the news. “A few hours ago, I lost a person who was very dear to me, a person who I consider like my daughter. I knew her when she was a child. She used to go to school with my daughters. I loved her a lot. She was really close to me and carried a lot of the work burden I had over me,” Shaikha Jawaher tweeted.

In another tweet, she said, “Bin Karam was a very active person who took over a lot of responsibilities and worked productively. She worked with her sisters and friends for the success of the conference [Investing in the Future’] and there are a lot more things she still wanted to contribute to. I can’t seem to be able to imagine three of them leaving us.”

“May God have mercy on Ameera, her mother and her sister. Ameera we will miss you a lot,” she said in another tweet.

Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, tweeted on her official account @ohoodalroumi: “Ameera Binkaram left us today, but her prosperous journey will remain a witness to her dedication and love for her homeland.”

Many Twitter users, including those who worked with her, expressed shock and paid condolences to the family. Twitter user @sroor77alhames said: “You were a true example of patience, hard work and perseverance means. You were a role model. We belong to God and to God we shall return.”

@Manaltaryam said: “The news has saddened us, we knew Ameera, her mother and her sister since we were young. May God bless their souls and grant them a place in paradise.”

Another user @MunemUAE said: Those with white hearts have left us, but what has remained is their humanitarian imprints and memories of giving. May God bless their souls.”

In a previous interview with Gulf News, Bin Karam said she developed an affinity for social work early in life. She said she loved working with cancer patients, which is why she had also decided to join Friends Of Cancer Patients Society as the President of Board of Trustees.

“At FOCP we help patients by educating them about the disease, and in some cases by making their wishes come true,” she said.

In the interview in 2011, she said she believed a lot in the well-known Arabic saying “Whoever wants to pray will make time to pray”.

“If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person and he will manage to make time for it. Of course, for this to happen, the person will have to believe in it,” she was quoted as saying.

She also said her family supported her in everything step she took in her life.

“They are who I go to for ideas and inspiration. They give me advice and are involved in all of my decisions. Even if they disagree with one of my decisions, they would still support me and make sure everything turns out alright for me,” she said.

By Aghaddir Ali Mary Achkhanian Staff Reporters

Gulf News 2016. All rights reserved.