Islam Shabana, one of the members of the January 25 Youth Association in Paris, today said that the fire that gutted a French building in the Pantan region of Paris housed migrants from Egypt and Tunisia and that two Egyptians perished in the blaze. One of the bodies has been identified, while the other remains unknown. “The fire started on Wednesday in one of the buildings slated for demolition by the municipality,” Islam told Youm7. “The building has two floors and the first floor was completely closed.” He also added that the investigations into the fire are preliminary, but investigators suspect the reason for the blaze was a candle. The Coordinator of the January 25 Youth Association in Paris heard about the fire and left with members Mostafa Bakry, Islam Shabana and Wesam el-Mahsad to investigate. Upon arrival, they met with Amr Noaman who had jumped from the window, saving himself. Noaman said that two Egyptians were stuck inside the building, and he feared they had died. Ahmed Samir, the Egyptian consul, arrived and coordinated with the Avethein Hospital. He later determined that two Egyptians and four Tunisians perished in the blaze. Three Tunisians were also injured. Islam worked with the office of criminal investigation to identify the deceased. They identified Hosni el-Morshedy. They also determined that Alaa Salah Abdel Halim was missing.
