Dubai: Two women were critically injured and a baby sustained minor injuries when an explosion ripped through their flat in Al Khail Gate community in Dubai early on Wednesday.
The women are Shirin Gandhi, 60, and Mariam Gandhi, 35, according to hospital sources.
According to Dubai Civil Defence, the explosion caused by a gas cylinder, destroyed the walls of the flat and partially damaged two other apartments in the same building as well as an adjacent building.
Eyewitnesses told Gulf News there was no fire after the blast. They said they initially suspected a gas cylinder explosion, but after the thick dust from the rubble settled, they could see a gas cylinder and a stove lying intact adjacent to the collapsed wall of the kitchen.
It was not clear if it was gas leakage from that cylinder that caused the explosion, or if there was another in the kitchen.
The blast took place in a fifth floor apartment of Building No 39 in Phase 1 of the community in Al Quoz. The impact was such that it shook nearby buildings and glass shards and other debris were blown several metres away. Residents in neighbouring buildings said they heard the explosion around 11.20am.
“It was a very loud noise. Everyone in the surrounding buildings heard it ... Our building shook and we heard people screaming,” an Indian woman told Gulf News.
‘People came running down’
“Everybody was out in the balconies and many people came running down. We saw the flat on the top floor severely damaged ... mainly the walls and all the rubble was lying around on the ground.”
A Civil Defence spokesperson said they evacuated the building soon after the incident was reported at 11.23am.
Lt Col Ahmad Burquibah, deputy director of Search and Rescue at Dubai Police, said: “When we got there the building had already been evacuated. We were told that two women and a baby were missing.”
Teams from search and rescue as well as Civil Defence launched a search. “We first found the baby, who sustained minor injuries. Then we found a woman stuck under the rubble … we found the other woman a while later, also under the rubble,” Lt Col Burquibah said.
They were rushed to hospital. A Rashid Hospital Trauma Care spokesperson confirmed that two victims were admitted in a critical condition.
Civil Defence later allowed tenants on the lower floors back in. Tenants of the fifth floor were allowed to retrieve their belongings late in the evening.
By 1.41pm, Civil Defence finished handling the incident. Cleaning operations went on even after 4pm.
Habeel K.K, who is visiting his sister’s family living opposite the affected apartment, said he and his brother-in-law were allowed to return to the flat by late evening.
“The front door of the damaged apartment ripped through our flat’s door and crashed into the washroom straight ahead. The ceiling on the fifth floor and the only lift to that floor are also damaged.” Dubai Properties said plans are in place to provide alternative accommodation to residents.
“We are working closely with the Civil Defence and relevant authorities to look into the matter and determine the cause. We work with the relevant authorities to ensure adherence to advanced safety and security procedures for the protection of residents, and plans are in place to provide alternative accommodation to the affected residents.
The impact of the explosion shook nearby buildings and glass splinters and debris were blown several metres away. Pankaj Sharma/Gulf News
