Three Sri Lankans die in New Zealand fire

Three Sri Lankans were reportedly killed due to a fire which occurred in a house in South Auckland, New Zealand.

However, the reason for the fire has yet to be ascertained. The incident has occurred at around 3:25 a.m (New Zealand time). Fire Service Northern Shift Manager Scott Osmond reported that six people were inside the house when the fire broke.

Refugee Council of New Zealand member Kailesh Thanabalasingham survived the fire but his five year-old son, 39-year-old wife and 66-year-old mother-in-law died.

Two other family members, his daughter and father-in-law were injured and are in a stable condition in Middlemore Hospital. Thanabalasingham, who was critically injured in the blaze, is the Secretary of the Refugee Council of New Zealand and had arrived in New Zealand ten years ago as a refugee from Sri Lanka.

Neighbours claimed that they heard screams and a glass breaking at around 3 a.m., and that they didn’t really know what was going on until they looked outside and saw the house in a blaze.