Report: 50 OFWs in Saudi homeless after weekend fire

At least 50 Filipinos were among some 100 Asian workers who have become homeless after a fire hit their company compound in Buraidah in Saudi Arabia last weekend. The fire razed some 20 portable cabins used as accommodation for the workers who included Filipinos, Nepalese, Indians, Bangladeshis, Egyptians and Pakistanis. “One of the victims was a Filipino foreman scheduled to go on vacation to the Philippines at the end of the month," " an engineer working at the compound of Mastoura Co. Ltd. said, according to a news report published on Thursday on the Saudi news site Arab News. "He lost three cell phones, $600 and several pieces of baggage that he was about to send to the Philippines through a courier," the engineer added. Mastoura Co. Ltd. is a subcontractor of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Buraidah is about 400 kilometers northwest of Riyadh. The fire hit Saturday morning and lasted for one hour, and rendered some 100 Asian workers homeless, the Arab News report said. According to the engineer, the fire allegedly hit the workers’ accommodations while they were at work. The workers reportedly could not save their personal belongings, including clothes, cell phones, computers and luggage. One of the Filipino workers said the company has provided them temporary accommodation at the back of the compound. “Others have been transferred to other accommodations in Onaizah. The company has also given SR500 to each of the victims," he said. – VVP, GMA News