Seven children die in UAE house fire

A fire killed seven children today near the eastern city of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the education ministry said in a statement.

The victims from the Rabia family ranged from kindergarten age to the eighth grade, the ministry added on its official Twitter page.

Gulf News cited a local police and civil defense officials saying that their mother reported the fire at dawn and though the cause of the blaze remained unknown, a short-circuit was suspected, Reuters reported.

Police said the blaze killed four girls and three boys, their ages between 5 and 13. It said all suffocated in the smoke while their mother was unable to save them. An investigation into the fire is underway.