Answers sought in Filipina’s death in Malaysia fire

The Philippine Embassy in Malaysia has sought a full investigation into the circumstances of the death of a Filipino woman who was said to have perished in a fire in Johor Bahru last week.

Ruby Lloren, a native of Polomok, South Cotabato, who was married to a Malaysian and had been living in Malaysia for seven years, died in the family home last Tuesday, according to a statement from the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The embassy said a robber reportedly entered the house and set it on fire as he was leaving, “in the process killing Lloren.”

It said that Lloren’s death was reported by her Malaysian husband to her family in South Cotabato last Tuesday afternoon. The husband was reportedly not at home when the robbery and fire happened.

“The embassy, through its police attaché, has asked Malaysian police authorities for a full investigation of the tragic incident, particularly how and why Ms. Lloren was trapped inside the burning house,” the statement said.

Lloren had a nine-year-old daughter. She worked in a fast-food restaurant.—Christine O. Avendaño