Mum, daughters die as family members battle to save them

Muscat: Five girls and their mother, as well as two other women, died in a horrific house blaze in Oman, despite frantic efforts by a brother-in-law to battle the flames and save them.
In pictures: Inside the house that went up in flames, killing eight
A 35-year-old mother, her five girls aged between 7 and 15, the mother’s 28-year-old sister and an Ethiopian maid all died in the fire at a villa in Barka, a Public Authority for Civil defence & Ambulance (PACDA) spokesman said.
“The sister’s husband was sleeping on the second floor, noticed the fire and tried to get out of the room. When he failed to get out, he managed somehow to break out from the window.
“He saved the father and he tried to go to the second floor, but because of the smoke it was difficult to stand in such a situation and he was not able to save them,” the official said.
The centre of operations of the General Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance received a report in the early hours of Tuesday about a fire in a house.
“At 4:35am firefighters dealt with a fire that broke out in a house in Al Salam neighbourhood in Barka. Within seven minutes, we reached the site and started dousing the flames,” the official added.
Rescuers suspect that the fire started on the ground floor. “According to preliminary information, the fire was concentrated in the centre of the house, in the lounge, then the fumes spread,” officials said.
After searching for trapped people, eight bodies were discovered on the upper floor as a result of inhaling heavy smoke.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. “We are still investigating the cause,” an official from PACDA said. Neighbours suspect the house burned for a long time. “We did not notice the fire because it happened too early, but we are sure that the house was on fire for a long time,” one of the neighbours told Times of Oman.
“I was getting ready for the morning prayer, when I smelled something burning. Then I saw the house was in flames, “ another neighbour said.
“When I stepped out from my house around 4:30, the only thing I noticed was the house was on fire and nobody was there to help. I was shocked with what was going on, and before I could call for help, the rescue team arrived on the spot.”