Five members of Indian-origin family die in London house fire
London, Nov 13: Five members of a family, including three children, have died in a house fire in west London, the Metropolitan Police said on Monday as it announced an investigation into the tragic incident.
While the victims are yet to be named by the police, local reports suggest the family was of Indian heritage and had been celebrating Diwali before the fire broke out on Sunday night.
A sixth victim remains unaccounted for in the fire and one male remains in hospital with injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening.
"My thoughts are with the loved ones of those who very sadly lost their lives in this tragic incident," said Met Police Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, responsible for policing in Hounslow where the fire occurred.
"I don't underestimate the impact that this will have on the wider community and beyond. I understand that there will be a demand for answers and my officers are working to establish exactly what has happened," he said.
Police said they were called at about 2230 local time on Sunday to reports of a fire at a residential address in Channel Close, Hounslow, where its officers attended alongside several London Fire Brigade firefighters and the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
The bodies of five victims were found inside the property and a sixth person is currently unaccounted for.
"It is believed that all five are members of the same family. One man left the house prior to the arrival of emergency services. He was taken to hospital by LAS. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening," reads the Met Police statement.
The police said nearby properties of the area were evacuated as a precaution and enquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing. At this early stage in the investigation there have been no arrests, the Met Police said.
"We sent a number of resources including five ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, two clinical team managers, two incident response officers and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team," LAS said in a statement.
Dileep Singh, 54, from Manchester, told reporters that his brother-in-law was at the property with his wife, three children and two adult guests.
Singh told the Evening Standard' newspaper: "I received a call and came as soon as I could with my wife. We are desperate for information. My brother-in-law is alive but I don't know what has happened to everyone else.
"We are desperate. I was told the fire came from outside from a bin. We are going to the hospital to try to get more information."
It is reported that the family had moved to the house in London relatively recently from Belgium.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
