Salwa Abu El Naga, an exceptional Egyptian animal rights activist and sister of famed actor Khaled Abu El Naga, died in a fire Monday while attempting to rescue her cats.
Salwa, along with her close friend Naglaa, was caught up in the fire that erupted in her apartment Monday afternoon. However, Salwa refused to leave the apartment without saving the 30-plus cats she was taking care of. The 63-year-old died due to suffocation.
“Salwa refused to leave her cats alone in the fire and tried to save as many as she could but unfortunately she died as she was doing so,” Dina Zulfikar, a famous animals rights activist, told Ahram Online.
After news broke of the fire, animal rights activists went to the apartment in Zamalek with several veterinarians to attempt to save the cats. The cats were all strays that Salwa had rescued.
Unfortunately however, 15 cats have died and more than 15 cats remain in critical condition after suffering from severe burns.
"We basically turned the garage of the building into a first-aid veterinary clinic for the cats," Zulfikar said. "We then transported them to veterinary hospitals in Zamalek and other areas."
Early investigations into the fire reveal that it first erupted in Salwa's balcony due to children and adults playing with fireworks on the street.
Khaled Abu El Naga, though in Greece at the time of her death, knew about the fire in Salwa's apartment because a journalist living across the street from the apartment building posted a picture of the fire.
Mourning his beloved sister's death, Khaled posted a picture of her on his official Twitter account saying "my dear sister Salwa ... I hope you guys live."
On social media, Salwa's death was a shock to animal rights activists. Her untimely death was met with a great amount of sadness and grief.