Indian Woman Dies After UAE Home Catches Fire During "Special Ritual"

An Indian origin woman died after a fire broke out in her apartment in the United Arab Emirates' Sharjah. The 46-year-old woman was reportedly performing a special ritual in her home in the Al Majaz 2 area of Sharjah when the fire erupted, according to authorities.

The incident happened around 10:45 (local time) on Thursday night, when a grocery shop owner in the same building saw a blaze rising from an apartment on the eighth floor of the 11-storey residential building, according to a report by Gulf News. 

The grocer alerted the authorities. Civil Defence teams, police, and National Ambulance responded swiftly and were able to contain the blaze to a single flat, but were unable to save the woman. The woman's body was later transferred to the forensic laboratory for an autopsy.

Each floor in the building reportedly has 12 apartments, but only the dead woman's unit sustained fire damage, the Gulf News report said. 

In a separate case, a 33-year-old woman from Kerala and her toddler were found dead in their apartment in Sharjah's Al Nahda neighbourhood. Per a Khaleej Times report, the woman, a native of Kollam, had moved to the UAE around two years ago with her husband.

But due to marital dispute, she was living separately with her daughter for the past few months. Their bodies were discovered on July 8. 

Citing a forensic report, Gulf News reported that the child died from "airway obstruction, possibly by a pillow." The report confirmed that the woman had died by suicide, and she was found hanging in the apartment by emergency responders.

Per a Khaleej Times report, a handwritten note in Malayalam -- believed to have been written by the dead woman-- was found in the house that contains details suggesting emotional distress and allegations of abuse.

Al Buhairah Police Station is investigating the incident.