Accident at construction site in Abu Dhabi injures nine

Abu Dhabi: Accident at a construction site around midnight has left nine labourers injured, the police said.

One person suffered medium injury while the others escaped with minor injuries as the roof came down on them while they were still at work.

"The roof of a building under construction collapsed around 12am on Wednesday, injuring nine workers," said an Abu Dhabi police official, who requested not to be named. Most of the workers were Pakistani nationals and few were Indian. The accident happened in the Zayed Sports City area close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Al Nuaimi, the head of the Quick Intervention Team of the Abu Dhabi Police, said the roof came down during the pouring of concrete. Ambulances were dispatched to the accident site soon after the central operation room received the communication, he said.

"Coordination is under way with the Abu Dhabi Municipality to determine the cause of the accident, and to make sure there are no irregularities with regard to security and safety procedures followed at the site by the concerned company," Al Nuaimi noted.

Following the accident, the police cross checked the number of workers present at the accident site with the supervisor to make sure no worker was missing.

"It was the second floor of the building that came down while the workers were still in. Most of them suffered minor abrasions and contusions on hands and legs," said a rescue personnel, adding that at least one person had head injury. The injured were transported by the police ambulance to the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City for treatment.