Big-hearted friends, strangers and community charity champions have rallied round to assist the former occupants of a property engulfed in flames which claimed the life of a low-paid expatriate labourer.
On October 29, tragedy struck in Isa Town when the building caught fire due to an electrical fault, Interior Ministry investigators confirmed.
The surviving tenants were helped to safety by brave firefighters but they – and their colleagues who were at work at the time – lost all their worldly belongings in the incident.
Members of We Care Bahrain, an unregistered charity group, stepped in to help them. “Although they managed to escape with their lives they could not escape the misfortune of losing everything,” said volunteer Tanya Thomas.
“They didn’t have shelter, food or clothing and some managed to find a temporary bed at the homes of friends for a few nights but, throughout the days, they had no roof over their heads.
“We have been able to care for up to 23 victims from the shared labour accommodation caught up in this tragic accident with the help of some amazing donors. We were able to provide quick support to them in the form of food, toiletries and medications to help them survive through the initial shock.
“Subsequently, we were also able to arrange deposits for new residences, mattresses, pillows, blankets, clothes, fridges and groceries to support their fresh new start.”
Bangladeshi Mohammed bin Islam, 47, who suffered a leg injury after scrambling out of the fire-ravaged building, said he and the former occupants would be forever grateful to everyone who stepped up to support them in their hour of need.
We Care Bahrain is made up of 12 volunteers and the group is always on the lookout for more helping hands with big hearts.
“We promise to continue supporting these victims in whichever way possible to ensure they get back on their feet. We deeply appreciate the help and kindness of our supporters who made our efforts possible,” added Ms Thomas.
One Bangladeshi man aged in his thirties died from the fumes as Civil Defence teams tackled the fire and rescued five others.
“The National Ambulance transported the survivors to hospital and preliminary information indicated that the cause of the fire was a short circuit,” the ministry later said in a statement.
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