Twins for parents whose triplets died in Qatar's Villaggio mall fire

Jane and Martin Weekes lost their toddlers Lillie, Jackson and Willsher in a blaze at Doha's Villaggio Mall in May 2012 that killed 19 people, including 13 children who were at a childcare centre.

In this photo taken Wednesday, July 31, 2013 and released by Martin Weekes, Martin Weekes smiles as he holds he and his wife's twins Poppy and Parker Weekes after their birth at the North Shore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. The New Zealand couple whose 2-year-old triplets were killed last year in a mall fire in Qatar's capital are celebrating the birth of twins. Martin Weekes says Poppy and Parker were born Wednesday by cesarean section at 36 weeks. He says Jane and the twins are healthy and recovering well, and they all hope to return home from the hospital by next week. (AP Photo/Martin Weekes) MANDATORY CREDIT *** Local Caption ***  New Zealand Twins.JPEG-047c1.jpg
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WELLINGTON // The parents of New Zealand triplets who died in Qatar's mall fire last year announced today that they have had baby twins.

Jane and Martin Weekes lost their toddlers Lillie, Jackson and Willsher in a blaze at Doha's Villaggio Mall in May 2012 that killed 19 people, including 13 children who were at a childcare centre.

Martin said the twins, a girl called Poppy and a boy named Parker, were born by caesarean section on Wednesday morning in Auckland, where the couple set up home after the tragedy.

He said the mother and babies, who were born at 36 weeks, were in good health.

"It's definitely a relief that they've been born healthy and safely because it's always a worry," he told the Dominion Post. "I guess probably more so for us because of having lost Lillie, Jackson and Willsher."

The twins were conceived through IVF following the death of the two-year-old triplets, though Martin Weekes said there was nothing that could "fill the void" left by the children who were killed.

"The twins are just another addition to our family," he said. "The sad thing is that Lillie, Jackson and Willsher weren't there to greet them."

A Qatari court in June sentenced five people to six years jail for negligence over the blaze, which broke out next to the unlicensed Gympanzee nursery and was blamed on an electrical fault.