(Image source from: Indian Family In Northern Ireland Faces Racial Attack})

According to media reports, an Indian family faced racial attack in Northern Ireland as their car that was in the premises of their house was completely destroyed in a fire on Friday morning.

Subi Philip was forced to run with her two children, aged eight and ten, from their house in Antrim county. Her husband Philip has gone to India for the funeral of his father. The attack was being treated by the police as hate crime.

Police officer John Allen said, "We believe the attack was motivated by racial hatred,"

"Any attack on property is unacceptable, however, I totally condemn the racial hate crime element of this attack, which makes it particularly repugnant," Allen added.

Subi Philip, a cardiac nurse, said her family was left in “distraught” due to the attack. A noise outside their house alerted them. She told BBC, "I heard a bang and saw a big fire. When I came downstairs, I started screaming,"

"My girls did not know why I was screaming and they were screaming too. I got panicked," she added.

The noise made her neighbors to come to help and asked her to come out. Due to the fear that they were the arsonists, she refused to leave house.

"I was scared. I was not sure if they were there to attack me and my girls or not," she said. The local Indian community members gathered at the house in her support.

-Sumana