UAE | General
Readers' comments and photos
Firemen have been fighting to save the lives of labourers trapped in a building under construction on a development on Dubai's Shaikh Zayed Road. Your comments and pictures.
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 January 18, 2007
Dubai: Four construction workers were killed and 67 were injured when a fire engulfed a high rise building under construction on Shaikh Zayed Road, opposite Dubai Marina.
Gulf News readers sent their eyewitness accounts and pictures of the incident.
Your comments
There should be enough safety equpiment on site and the workers should be trained well to use them so as to prevent similar mishaps. Most of the people working on sites are not at all concerned about the importance of safety.
A.A. Khader
Dubai,UAE
My office is next to the Fortune Tower. I was working in my office when suddenly my colleague came in and shouted, "Fire! Fire!". I went out and saw the tower next to our office on fire. Then our manager told us to get out of the building. It was a horrifying scene.
Kamal
Dubai,UAE
I have been working near the area and I saw a man climb out and then fall. It was sad.
Kasidech
Dubai,UAE
I feel very sorry for the poor people who lost their lives and I think tht the construction workers should be given trainig on how to use the emergency lifts.
Sam
Sharjah,UAE
The incident of yesterday's fire definitely speaks about the security of high-rise buildings, which seem to be booming from the past couple of years. It?s time now that a high-level team should be entrusted to look into the safety factors of these high-rises.
Tonmoy
Dubai,UAE
I feel sorry for the ones who died and got injured in the fire. I know how hard they are working and this is not the reward they deserve. Sending a thought to the men's families.
Jim
Nykoping,Sweden
I feel sorry for the workers, their work is hard enough without such tragedy.
Lars
Umeå,Sweden
This is a terrible tragedy. I feel very sorry for the poor men's families.
Jay
Dubai,UAE
I saw with dismay the emergency vehicles fighting through the notorious Shaikh Zayed Road traffic.
This incident highlights the fact that civil defence facilities are needed in Dubai Marina area, which are not there as of now nor any hospitals to treat any victims.
I hope Dubai govt. does something concrete about these facilities.
Syed
Dubai,UAE
I was on my way home with my husband and son coming from Jumeirah and saw many police cars and ambulances driving ahead of us at a high speed toward Jebel Ali. We thought it was a big accident but from what we saw, it was like 9/11. One of the towers was burning and the workers' heads were visible to the people in their cars below. People had parked their cars and were watching the terrible scene.
Asma
Dubai,UAE
I was driving on SZR and passed the building. The smoke was very heavy and black, coming out of the top floors. You could see labourers waiting to be rescued. The fire fighters cars drove past me when I reached the Defence roundabout. I thought they took quite some time. Poor labourers, they are paying a heavy price. Let's pray there are not many casualties!
Younes
Dubai,UAE
I am a student and at the time I was at my school, in my class actually, and I could see the fire from my window as it's just opposite my school. All my classmates were horrified and stuck to the window.
Ayesha
Dubai,UAE
I live opposite this tower at the Cascades and it really looked horrible. From time to time there were even huge flames visible.
Stefan
Dubai,UAE
Related Links
- Photos, reports pour in from readers
- Worker tells of daring descent to safety
- No structural damage to building, says company
- Ten rescued from burning tower in stable condition
- Within an hour of the blaze ...
- Fre was treated as a disaster
- Captains lend a lifeline to worker on makeshift elevator
- 'We don't want to die, please help us'
- Most of the workers were treated for smoke inhalation
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