Hanin Rabi and her mother
Photo: El-Arab website
Seven-month-old Hanin Rabi of Jaljulia died Monday when a fire erupted in her family's third-floor apartment. Her one and a half year old brother sustained moderate injuries in the fire, while the mother, 30, was severely injured.
The cause of the blaze remains unknown at this point.
Relatives said the mother left her children at home to fetch a can of coffee from her husband. The fire, according to them, broke out while she was downstairs. The mother screamed for help and rushed back to the flat, but the fire had already spread, and the flames engulfed her and the two children. The mother was injured while attempting to save her kids, eyewitnesses said.
Passersby who spotted the flames rescued the woman from the apartment, and the son was rescued shortly thereafter. The infant daughter's body was found during a subsequent search of the apartment.
Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated the mother to the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, where she was connected to a respiratory machine. Her son was taken to the Sapir Medical Center in Kfar Saba.
Two people who assisted in the rescue efforts sustained mild injuries. Firefighters from Kfar Saba were rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze.
The father collapsed upon learning of the tragedy and was treated at the scene. A relative told Ynet that about a month ago a fire erupted in a second-floor apartment in the same building, but there were no injuries.
Hassan Shaalan contributed to the report
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