Worker killed in Dubai's Sonapur brawl

Dubai: One worker died and at least 15 were injured in a fight among workers in the Sonapur area on Tuesday night.

Police said the incident took place at the labour accommodation when the workers were cooking their dinner.

Police said the fight took place between 25 Bangladeshi workers and around eight Pakistani workers who fought over who would cook dinner first.

Police said the men work for a system contacting company.

"When the fight broke out more workers joined in. The workers used kitchen knives," a witness said.

He said police patrols came, including a helicopter and rescue team.

"The fight continued for around an hour. The workers started fighting for a silly reason. They fought over who will start cooking and about using the cooking utensils," the witness said.

He said many workers gathered in the area.

"The workers acted in a savage way. It was scary how they beat each other," he said.

Police said one Bangladeshi died on the spot after being stabbed and another 15 were injured.

Police said some of the workers were drunk.

"We are investigating the issue. There has been a murder," a police officer said.

The witness said some of the injured workers were taken to hospital. Police said such incidents usually happen among workers who come from divergent cultural backgrounds.

The witness said the workers lived in one building.

"The building where the fight happened consists of four or five floors. The fight took place in the& kitchen area," he said.

"They [the company] have around 4,000 or 5,000 workers [living there]."

The witness said police arrested many of the workers.

Police patrols along with civil defence personnel and helicopter-borne forces were able to control the crowd, he said.