IPOH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today contributed RM5,000 in initial assistance to the family of the victims of a fire that claimed the lives of three family members at Persiaran Desa Tambun 4, Taman Desa Tambun, here early Sunday morning (Sept 20).
The contribution was presented by Tambun Member of Parliament's (MP) special officer Mohamad Hairul Amir Sabri, representing the Tambun MP's Service Centre, to the family's representative, Raja Ikhwan Hadi Raja Ahmad.
Mohamad Hairul Amir said the assistance was an initial contribution to ease the burden on the family, which is now coping with the loss of three family members in the tragedy.
"Insya-Allah, tomorrow (Sept 21), the ICU (Implementation Coordination Unit) of the Prime Minister's Department will come to conduct an assessment, and we will try to assist with repairs to the house as well as provide any other assistance needed," he told reporters at the scene here on Sunday.
He said the service centre was also prepared to help provide temporary accommodation if the victim's family needed a place to stay while the house was being repaired.
"Looking at the condition of the house, the repair process may take quite some time. So, the service centre may help provide temporary accommodation for them until the repairs are completed," he said.
Mohamad Hairul Amir said they would also discuss with the Social Welfare Department and relevant agencies to identify suitable assistance for the victim's family, including the possibility of providing counselling services.
He said they would also assist with arrangements for the burial of all the victims.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Hairul Amir said the Prime Minister had conveyed his condolences to the victims' family and instructed the service centre to provide the best possible assistance to the family.
Earlier, an elderly couple and their grandson were killed in a fire involving a two-storey terraced house in the incident early this morning.
Perak Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Sayani Saidon said the department received a call at 4am before a team from the Tambun and Ipoh Fire and Rescue stations rushed to the scene.
The victims were identified as Raja Ahmad Raja Ali, 70, Zaitun Mohamed, 64, and their 18-year-old grandson, Nik Abdurrahman Azimin Harith Helal, while Raja Ikhwan Hadi, 47, survived after he was believed to have been sleeping in the parking area of the house. – Bernama
