Triplets' parents outraged as mall reopens

The New Zealand parents of two-year-old triplets who died in a Qatar mall fire earlier this year are outraged that the mall is now reopening.

Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes were attending a childcare centre in the Villaggio mall in Doha when a blaze broke out in May, killing them and 16 others.

Shoppers flocked to the mall when a small number of stores reopened on Friday (NZT).

The area where the fire broke out remained closed off, and although safety information had been posted in stores' windows, fire exits at the mall were wired shut, according to a mall visitor who posted a photo on Twitter.

The triplets' parents, Jane and Martin Weekes, joined the parents of other children killed in the fire to express their anger at the surprise news of the mall's reopening.

"We are angered that Villagio has not even had the courtesy to invite us to grieve for our children in private at the location they died. The owners and management should be ashamed," they said in a statement posted online.

The parents had not been notified of the reopening.

The owners of the mall and childcare centre, who face charges over the tragedy, are yet to appear in court and "did not have the humanity to show up" to a scheduled hearing, the parents said.

They asked shoppers to boycott the mall, saying they "have a choice where to shop" - but if they did return, they were asked to remember those who died, "including our 13 most precious children".

"Remember the negligence of Villaggio and others and allowing this to happen. And remember that justice has not been done."

Five people were initially arrested over the fire, including the mall's manager and assistant manager, and its assistant director of security.

An investigation identified an electrical fault in a shop light's wiring as the cause of the fire, while there was a "lack of adherence to laws, systems, and measure by all concerned parties to different degrees".