London, Nov 28 (IANS): An Indian family faced racial attack in Northern Ireland as their car was torched in the premises of their house, a media report said.

Subi Philip and her two children, aged ten and eight, were forced to run from their house in Antrim county on Friday morning as their car was completely destroyed in a fire, BBC reported on Friday.

Philip's husband was not at home as he had gone to India for his father's funeral.

The police were treating the attack as a hate crime.

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

"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.

A cardiac nurse, Subi Philip said the attack had left her family "distraught".

She said that they were alerted by a noise outside their house.

"I heard a bang and saw a big fire. When I came downstairs, I started screaming," she told BBC.

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

After the loud noise, her neighbours came to help and asked her to come out of the home, however, fearing that they were the arsonists, she refused to leave.

"I was scared. I was not sure if they were there to attack me and my girls or not," she said.

Members of the local Indian community gathered at the house to offer support to the family.