It’s 2.30, it’s night. Piazza dell’Unità, a few meters from the former deconsecrated church of the Trinity, in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Vittoria, a town in the Ragusano of 65 thousand inhabitants, known for its large fruit and vegetable market. The flames light up the sky.
But it is the reflection of the fire that envelops the home of the Zaouali family, of Tunisian origins who have lived in Sicily for many years. Inside are the head of the family Kamel57 years old, his wife Mariam 55 years old, and two daughters Sameh 33 years old and Oumaima of 19.
Hell in the Ragusa area
It’s a fiery hell. Mariam died from severe burns in the Guzzardo di Vittoria hospital and her eldest daughter Sameh died in the evening in Catania, her husband and the other daughter are in very serious conditions: the man is hospitalized in the Civic hospital of Palermo with burns on 40 % of her body, the girl is in the Cannizzaro hospital, in Catania, with burns on 60% of her body. The person who started the fire was the son of the Zaouali family, 29 years old, who apparently suffers from psychiatric problems. He was stopped by the police while wandering in a countryside area. He is in custody.
The fourth daughter who escaped the tragedy
A fourth daughter escaped the tragedy, but only because she was not at home: she studies at the University of Turin and is returning to Vittoria. According to an initial reconstruction by the investigators, it was the young man, at the height of a family dispute, who started the fire; he would have piled up tires in front of the house, then set it on fire with a torch wrapped in a rag soaked in flammable liquid. The flames, which destroyed the house, were put out by firefighters after several hours.
The Zaouali family
Those who know the Zaouali family describe it as having been integrated for years with the local and Islamic community, made up of many North Africans who work in the Ragusa countryside. Oumaima, her youngest daughter, attended the Mazzini linguistic high school in Vittoria, she was supposed to take her final exams in a few days. «A cheerful girl, full of interests, who I got to know well during a trip» says the principal of the institute Emma Barrera. “I hope,” she adds, “that you recover as soon as possible and that you can take the exams afterwards.”
What friends and acquaintances say
The many faithful who frequent the mosque of the Al-Zaytouna community, in via Montebello, also speak well of the Zaouali family. «Kamel works on a farm. I know him well, as do his wife and children. They are my friends, respectable people – explains the president of the Islamic community of Vittoria Abdelhamid Jebari – They frequent the mosque and are very present, respected by everyone. Unfortunately they had recently had problems with their son. However, I would never have imagined that such a tragedy could take place.”
The mayor’s condolences
With a message of condolence from the municipal administration of Vittoria, the mayor, Francesco Aiello, proclaimed a day of citizen mourning on the day of Mariam’s funeral. «We express deep condolences for what happened this morning in the city – writes Aiello – The entire community is close to the family in this moment of immense pain. The administration is available for the needs of this tragic moment. We will proclaim city mourning on the day of the funeral.” The funeral should take place in the mosque in via Montebello. Kamel Zaouali is a member of the board of the Islamic community Al-Zaytouna, one of President Abdelhamid Jebari’s closest collaborators.
