The accident, in which seven Emirati children were suffocated to death in their villa, was reported too late (five hours late, perhaps), said a top Fujairah Police official. This made it difficult for the children to survive and be rescued.

The police are fully prepared to respond to any kind of emergency in less than four minutes to rescue victims and save lives, he pointed out. The operations room would have dispatched the rescue units along with civil defence to evacuate the occupants in the house, he added.

Police have launched an intensive investigation and discovered that short circuit in the AC triggered the fire, which spread quickly to rest of the villa. The cops are currently interrogating the maid and waiting for the mother to recover and stabilise to take her statement and version.

Devastated mother still in shock
The devastated mother of the seven Emirati children who died on Monday due to suffocation caused by fire that erupted in their villa is still in a state of shock, even as her kin are helping her to come to terms with her irreparable loss. "Her condition is a little better than it was yesterday when the tragedy struck," said one of her family members.

The widowed mother - identified as Salima Khamees Al Seraidi - has moved to her family house in Dibba Al Fujairah to recover from the massive shock, with help from her brothers and sisters.

Mohammed Al Seraidi, a half-brother of the deceased children, said that his father passed away four years ago after fighting a disease for a long time. He had left us all fatherless, but our mothers are very strong and coped with the colossal loss of their husband. "They raised us and gave us a good upbringing."

Talking about the deceased, he said, "I used to visit my sisters and brothers frequently to spend time with them. We loved each other immensely. Shooq, 13, was studying in Standard 10 at Al Raheeb School. She was my favourite because she was very kind and had a pleasant personality. The constant smile on her face was endearing. Sara and Sumaya were twin sisters who studied in KG 1. They were a source of joy for all. Shaikha was in Grade 4 and was a calm and beautiful girl. She was deeply attached to her mother. Khalifa was in Grade 7, Ahmed in 5 and Ali in 3. They were all wonderful and very supportive of their mother and sisters. Most of the days they all used to spend their time after school in our house which is in the same neighbourhood."

He said that the mother of the deceased kids "called her brothers and my uncle when the fire broke out using the maid's phone". The maid remained unaffected by the blaze as her room was outside the villa.
Rashid Saeed Al Seraidi, another half-brother of the deceased kids, said that he was attending class at school when his friends told him about the tragedy. He was shocked beyond measure and immediately left the school. Rashid rushed to their house and found police and civil defence vehicles all around the area. "They refused to allow me in; I cried a lot until I fainted. I used to love them all so much. Since our father passed away, we had become so closely knit. I just can't believe they are no more."

People from different emirates, government officials, schools students and teachers flocked to the condolence tent set up to mourn the death of the children