ISLAMABAD: Religious Affairs Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri arrived in Karameh, Jordan on Thursday to meet with relatives of 13 Pakistani nationals who were killed by a fire in Jordan earlier this month.

Qadri traveled to Jordan upon a special request by Prime Minister Imran Khan, a statement by the Ministry of Religious Affairs said.

“The prime minister’s sympathy is with you,” the minister told Ali Sher Joya, the head of the family whose 13 members, including children, tragically lost their lives when the fire broke out in their makeshift dwelling in Karameh, 40 kilometers from Amman, on Dec. 2.

Around 14,000 Pakistanis nationals have been residing in the area for the past five decades, the ministry’s statement read.

The victims came from Dadu district in Sindh province.