Abu Dhabi fire: There are no children left in our family, say relatives

"These swings belonged to them, but what can I say, this is God's will."

The victims included three women aged 38, 37 and 21. The children - three girls and two boys - were aged between one and eight.

All of them died from suffocation, the relatives told Khaleej Times.

There were 12 people in the house when the fire broke out; four escaped and are currently being treated in the hospital. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

"We are all under a state of shock. I am heartbroken for the children, they are gone too soon and had their whole lives ahead of them," said another relative, who did not want to be named.

He said that the Abu Dhabi Police and the civil defence arrived immediately at the scene of the fire in the early hours of the morning.

One family member who witnessed the fire said: "All I could see was smoke. A lot of black smoke."

"It happened during Fajr prayers and everyone was sleeping. But many of the relatives and neighbours woke up and tried to save the family."

The relatives said they suspect electric short circuit could have caused the fire, which broke out in the ground floor, inside the living area.

The members of the family were still asleep upstairs in the villa, which was two stories high. "They all died from suffocation from the smoke, no one was burnt, they were not disfigured, thank God.

"My cousin's wife was also in the house, but she made it out alive, although two of her daughters died. She is currently in the hospital," he added.

After the fire broke out, a short audio-clip spread on social media across the country, where the home owner, Ali Badawi Al Kotheri, narrated the details of the heartbreaking scene.

"Eight people died in our home this morning, including my two daughters," said Al Kotheri.

The burial took place on Tuesday after Maghrib prayers at the Bani Yas Graveyard. Hundreds of community members attended the burial.

Condolences from people across the UAE poured over social media, with heartfelt messages to the families of the victims.

jasmine@khaleejtimes.com