Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
A police officer peers at the bodies of the Monymusk Estate fire victims on Sunday. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE BODIES of the five Indian nationals who died in Sunday morning's residential fire at the Sugar Company of Jamaica's (SCJ) Monymusk Estate in Clarendon were to be cremated last night by Sam Isaacs' Funeral Home, at its crematorium in Shooter's Hill, St. Andrew.
Officials from Dhampur Sugar Mills Limited in Delhi, India, from whom the expatriates were contracted, plan to fly their ashes home tonight following a Hindu ceremony and last rites at Sam Issacs and Sons' Shooter's Hill Chapel earlier this morning. All five were Hindus from Dehli.
The Indians died from third-degree burns. An electrical short-circuit was believed to have been the cause of the blaze that engulfed the concrete nog eight-room dwelling shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. Among the dead were Ajay Jadley, 35, technical consultant, wife Garima Jadley, 30, and their daughter Natasha Jadley, 9. Also dead were - Nakul Singh, 28, a sugar engineer, and Anil Singh, 28, a turbine technician.
Arrangements are being handled by Chandra Mohan, general manager of Dhampur Sugar Mills Limited, who led the team of technical advisers from India. He is being assisted by Managing Director Gourav Goel, who flew out from London, England, following the fire.
FAMILIES DISTRAUGHT
"I spoke to the families; they are feeling very bad, obviously, as they don't even have the bodies. Nothing is there. All that is left are the formalities," a still upset Mr. Mohan told The Gleaner yesterday.
The five were unable to escape their home as they were trapped by locked grill for which they were unable to find keys. This, said the Fire Brigade's Fire Prevention Unit, can be a common problem in escaping fires.
Fire precautions:
* When thinking about grilling your home, consider installing units that hinge from the inside. These can be opened outwards, allowing for escape in the event of a fire.
* Keep keys for the grill separate to other keys and close to the grill, for easy access but far away from the bars to prevent access by intruders.
* Keep a flashlight easily accessible, at all times.
For more information contact a fire prevention officer at 922-2523. They can provide advice, literature or conduct inspections.
