Thirteen Pakistanis Die In Jordan Farm Fire

Thirteen Pakistani nationals, including eight children and four women, have died in a fire at a farm in Jordan, authorities say.

Jordan’s civil-defense department said that early on December 2 the fire swept through a "corrugated metal house" housing two Pakistani families working as agricultural laborers in South Shouna, a rural area west of the capital, Amman.

Three other people were injured in the blaze and are being treated at hospital, it said.

The department said it believed the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz called for an expedited investigation into the incident and offered condolences to the people and government of Pakistan.

Thousands of migrant workers are employed by private farms in the Jordan Valley, a vegetable and fruit growing area.

Many of them are housed in poor accommodation.

Based on reporting by the BBC, Reuters, AFP, and dpa