The husband of the Filipina victim who tragically perished in the recent Sharjah fire has been released from the hospital and is preparing to return home along with his wife’s remains, confirmed the Philippine labour attaché in Dubai on Friday.
While the identities of the couple were not disclosed, labour attaché John Rio A. Bautista affirmed in a Khaleej Times report, “the husband of the deceased victim is now safe and has already been discharged from the hospital.”
Philippine authorities, in communication with the expatriate, noted his desire for swift recovery. According to Hans Leo Cacdac, officer-in-charge of the Department of Migrant Workers in Manila, the expat expressed a wish to “recover immediately,” driven partly by the desire to bring his wife home himself.
“In a way, it was his dead wife who also encouraged him to recover. He is now safe,” Cadac said in an interview.
Assistance is being extended by the Philippine Consulate-General (PCG) and Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Dubai to complete the necessary documentation for repatriating the wife’s remains, Bautista confirmed. The MWO will cover the expenses, given that the deceased was under her husband’s visa.
Financial aid has been provided to other affected Filipino victims of the Sharjah fire by MWO, with additional food assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Bautista added, “Most of those affected by the fire have already returned to their homes.”
The tragic blaze occurred at a high-rise residential building in Sharjah’s Al Nadha area on April 4, claiming five lives and injuring 44 individuals, with suffocation cited as the cause of death. Among the affected were 10 other Filipinos, including two children, residing in the same building.