Osama bin Laden's family killed by fire in plane crash

London: Three members of Osama bin Laden's family including his stepmother and sister and their Jordanian pilot died from the "effects of fire" when their private jet crashed in Britain, according to the results of preliminary post-mortem tests released,on Tuesday.

Bin Laden's half-sister, Sana Mohammed Bin Laden, her mother, Raja Bashir Hashim, and his brother-in-law, Zuhair Hashim died in the crash in Hampshire, south England, on Friday.

The jet's pilot, Mazen Al-Aqeel Da'jah Salem, was also killed while trying to land at Blackbushe airport, near Yateley.

An inquest into the deaths was opened and adjourned by British authorities today after concluding that the family of the slain Saudi-born terrorist died from the "effects of fire" after their private jet, worth more than USD 7 million, crash-landed at the airport, the BBC reported.

No further details were made public at this stage, the report said.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in London said it was working with the UK officials to repatriate the bodies.

The Saudi-registered Phenom 300 private jet was attempting to land at Blackbushe Airport when it crashed on to dozens of cars and burst into flames killing all on board.

The airport reopened yesterday after it was shut over the weekend to allow for investigations.

British police are carrying out a joint investigation with the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Hampshire police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the crash.

Experts believe the investigation is likely to focus on pilot error.

The bin Laden family which runs a huge construction conglomerate in Saudi Arabia are not known to have any significant business interest in the UK, but London is a popular destination for many wealthy Saudis for shopping trips and socialising with friends.