Three young brothers killed in house fire in Egypt's Alexandria

Three young brothers lost their lives in a tragic incident when a fire broke out at their flat in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria, local news outlets reported on Tuesday.

The children sustained severe burns on their bodies and efforts to save their lives failed, the reports added.

The mother of the three victims is divorced and was at work at the time the fire erupted, according to witnesses.

The incident is currently under investigation. But according to unconfirmed accounts, the flames, which occurred on Monday evening, were caused by a short circuit.

No further details were immediately available. 

In recent years, children have been victims of recurrent fire-related incidents in Egyptian households.

In February, three siblings, including a baby, lost their lives after a fire broke out in their flat in Egypt's north-eastern Ismalia province.

One month earlier, four siblings were killed in southeastern Giza province in a similar incident. 

A similar incident took place in June last year when six children were killed and 15 others injured in Cairo, also by a fire caused by a short circuit.