3 Filipinos die, 1 hurt in Doha mall fire—DFA

Emergency vehicles stand outside the Villaggio Mall, in Doha's west end, as a fire took hold of the upscale mall in the Qatari capital of Doha Monday May 28, 2012. Qatar's Interior Ministry said 13 children were among 19 people killed in a fire that broke out at one of the Gulf state's fanciest shopping mall on Monday. The Villaggio opened in 2006 and is one of Qatar's most popular shopping and amusement destinations. It includes an ice skating rink and indoor Venice-style gondola rides. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)

MANILA, Philippines—Three Filipinos died of asphyxiation in a fire that erupted at a nursery in Villaggio mall, Doha, Qatar, on Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a report from Radyo Inquirer early Tuesday.

In an interview with Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, it was confirmed that three unidentified Filipinos were among the 19— about 13 of them were children—who perished in the fire.

Another Filipino, a certain “Michael” was hurt in the fire.

In an earlier report from Agence France-Presse, it was said four of the 13 children—seven girls and six boys—were Spanish, one was French.

The AFP report also said two members of the civil defense also died in the fire.

Villaggio Mall was opened in 2006. The Venetian-styled center boasts a mall area of 125,000 square meters. Its main feature is a canal on which genuine gondolas ferry visitors through the mall.

For more, listen to the attached audio clip from Radyo Inquirer.