13 killed in accident at Dubai Dry Docks

Fears were growing last night over the fate of tens of workers who are missing following a tragic accident at Dubai Dry Docks which killed at least 13.

The men were working on ships in the dry dock when two panels of the massive watertight gates ruptured, allowing the sea to cascade in.

Rescuers were last night still trying to determine the final toll, but 13 dead were confirmed along with 23 missing and 23 injured.

A full scale rescue operation involving divers, police, army, dock workers and helicopters swung into action when the alarm was raised at 9am.

Five ships in the dock were damaged as the seawater flooded in, trapping many of the men working on them.

The injured were rushed to Rashid Hospital and Al Baraha Hospital, and some were treated at the Dry Docks' own clinic.

One workman, who asked not to be named, said: "I was working with 60 others on a barge in the dock. Everything happened so suddenly. When I saw the water gushing in I just dropped everything and ran as fast as possible. When I reached a safe spot I turned back and was shocked at the scene.

"I saw men running to escape. Some of my co-workers had drowned. The impact of the water rushing in was tremendous. I have no idea how many of my crew members have been injured or have survived. The barge we were working on - Sept-350 - had tilted. But my fears are for the others who were working on barge CB-1, which sank. There were more working on that barge. As it was a flat-decked barge, all the workers were inside it. They are sure to have been trapped inside."

Another worker who escaped, Hafiz Ali, an Indian, said: "It all happened so quickly. We couldn't even call for help. The force of the water gushing in was alarming.

"Maintenance work on the gate was taking place at the time. Officials were quick to act, and in no time the injured were on their way to hospital."

The five vessels in the dock at the time were Princess, a tanker of 57,000 dead weight tons (DWT); Indira 1, a cargo vessel of 7,000 DWT; Key Bermuda, a jack-up-rig; September-350, a barge of 5,000 DWT; and CB-1, a barge of 4,000 DWT.

Brig. Sharafuddin Hussain, Commander in Chief of Dubai Criminal Investigation Department, said: "We have our own people working in this rescue operation.

"Our main priority was to pump out the water which had flooded the dock. Our frogmen are going down to recover further casualties."

Asked if they had accepted help from the U.S. Navy, he said that they did not accept it because they have the appropriate facilities themselves. "We are handling the case," he said.

To a query on how many workers were at the site when the incident took place, Brig. Sharafuddin said: "We have no idea. It is difficult to give numbers at this time as we are concentrating on the rescue operation. The entire investigation is being carried out by Dubai Police."