New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met the family members of eight Indian nationals who were handed down death sentence by a Qatari court.

Jaishankar conveyed to the family members that the government will make all efforts to secure the release of the Indians.

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were on Thursday handed down death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance.

India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case.

"Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar.Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families," Jaishankar said on X.

"Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard," he said.

The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.

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Jaipur (PTI): Five members of a family were burnt alive while the driver was seriously injured after a car caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place near Maujpur on Wednesday night when the victims were returning from a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Kashmir.

Additional Superintendent of Police Priyanka Raghuvanshi said fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control in 15 minutes, but by then the car was completely gutted.

The deceased have been identified as Santosh, his wife Shashi, mother Parvati and daughters Raghani and Sakshi, all residents of Chainpura in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Kailash Jindal said a short circuit is suspected to have triggered the blaze. As it was a CNG vehicle, the fire spread fast, leaving the occupants with no time to escape.

"Only skeletal remains were recovered from the vehicle, which have been preserved separately. DNA tests will be conducted to establish their identity," he said.

The car driver, identified as Vinod Kumar Mehar, managed to jump out of the vehicle but sustained around 80 per cent burn injuries. He was initially taken to a nearby health centre and later referred to Jaipur for advanced treatment, officials said.

Further investigation is underway.