Kurdistan PM vows thorough probe of fire that killed 13 OFWs

CONDOLENCES. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (right) conveys his sadness and sympathy to Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad over the death of 13 Filipinos during a fire that struck the Capitol Hotel in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Prime Minister Barzani promised to undertake a thorough investigation of the incident. MANOLITO RUEDAS /PH EMBASSY

ERBIL, Iraq—Authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan region have assured the Philippine Embassy of a thorough investigation into the February 5 fire at the Capitol Hotel here to make sure that anyone found responsible for the tragedy that claimed the lives of 13 overseas Filipino workers would be held accountable.

“We are deeply sorry about what happened,” Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government told Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato during a meeting at the regional capital where he also conveyed his condolences and solidarity with the Philippine Government and the Filipino people.

“Our hearts go to the victims of this tragedy and their families back in the Philippines,” Prime Minister Barzani said, adding that the Embassy can count on the full support and cooperation of the regional government.

“We are ready to cooperate,” Barzani said in assuring Cato that a thorough investigation would be conducted and appropriate action would be taken against those found responsible for the tragedy that had initially been blamed on faulty wiring.

Present during the meeting were Interior and Peshmerga Affairs Minister Karim Sinjari, Foreign Minister Fallah Mustafa Bakr, Erbil Governor Nawzad Hadi, and Government Spokesperson Safeen Dizayee.

For his part, Cato thanked the Prime Minister for the support and cooperation that Kurdish authorities have extended to the Embassy to ensure the immediate repatriation of the remains of the 13 Filipinas who were among the 19 people who perished in the fire.

“We would not have been able to reunite our departed kababayans with their loved ones in the Philippines in such a short timeframe without the support of Prime Minister Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” Cato said, noting that it took the Embassy only seven days to send the victims home.

He noted that Governor Hadi and Minister Dizayee went out of their way to accompany the remains to the airport prior to their departure for the Philippines on 12 February.

Cato also thanked the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for making it possible for the Embassy to reach the incident site within hours after the fire by allowing the use of one of their aircraft.

He personally thanked the Special Representative of the Secretary General Jan Kubis and other UNAMI officials for the gesture, which allowed the Embassy to immediately inspect the scene of the fire, coordinate with investigators and identify the remains of the victims.

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