Picture for illustrative purposes only. DUBAI CIVIL DEFENCE

Deadly Dubai fire kills 16, including 2 who died trying to rescue others

Investigations continued on Sunday (April 16), a day after a fire in a residential building in Dubai killed 16 people, including two Indians who died trying to rescue trapped residents. Reports identified Gudu Saliyakoondu, a carpenter, and Imam Kasim, a painter, as the two workers who rushed into the burning building to help occupants escape. The fire, which also left nine people injured, happened in Al Ras on Saturday afternoon. Thick black smoke and flames were seen coming out of an apartment window of the fourth floor of the building. A social worker said that the bodies of the two Indian workers will be repatriated to Tamil Nadu in India as soon as possible. An Indian couple was also killed in the fire. As of Sunday, 12 out of 16 people who died in the fire have been identified, including the four Indians, three Pakistanis, four Sudanese and one Cameroon national. According to Dubai Civil Defense, a fire alert was received at 12:35pm and that the fire was brought under control at 2:42pm. A spokesperson said that preliminary investigations showed that the fire was caused by a “lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements”. Meanwhile, tributes have poured in for the victims of the deadly blaze, including Dubai school teacher Jeshi Kandamangalath and her husband, Rijesh, who worked for a travel agency near their residence. The Indian couple died from asphyxiation. The Keralite couple was reportedly sleeping when the fire broke out. A social worker said the couple had taken a day off to celebrate the Indian festival of Vishu. ICA/Expat Media
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