A funeral prayers service will take place today for a father and his three-year-old son who tragically died in a devastating house fire in the West Cross area of Swansea. Naemat Lawa Esmael, aged 51, and his three-year-old son Muhammed Esmael, lost their lives in the tragic incident at Gonhill at 1.20pm on Saturday, July 1.
The prayers will be held at Swansea Mosque and Islamic Community Centre along St Helen's Road in Swansea, and will be led by Naemat's sibling. The family have requested that everyone joins in the prayer and pays their respects to both Naemat and Muhammed. It is expected to begin at around 11.30am.
A fundraiser has since been set up to support the family, which has currently raised more than £27,000. You can find that by clicking here. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
A statement read: "The Swansea Muslim community announces that the funeral prayer for Naemat Lawa Esmael and Muhammed Esmael will be held between 11am-1pm (exact time will be announced in the morning after 9am) on July 6, 2023, at Swansea Mosque and Islamic Community Centre, located at 159a St Helen's Road, Swansea, through George Street entrance, SA1 4DG.
"The funeral prayer will be led by Naemat's sibling. Religious reminders will also be delivered by the Imams of Sketty Mosque and University Mosque. The family kindly requests everyone to join the prayer and pay their respects to Naemat and Muhammed."
The cause of the fire, which was contained to one property, is unknown at this stage and a joint investigation is being carried out by police and the fire service.
Clare-Anna Mitchell, who lives in West Cross and set up the fundraiser for the family, said previously: "The community has been rocked by the news. Everyone is very upset and people want to help and the way that we can help right now is by donating and then we will figure out what the family needs further down the line. The people living on the road are pulling together. They're devastated, but they're knocking each other's doors and leaning on each other for support."
