Labourer entombed in sand at work site

Dubai: Rescuers managed to reach two trapped labourers in time after a wall of sand caved in on them while they were digging a water canal in Jebel Ali but a third worker could not be saved, a senior police official said.

Captain Ahmad Burquibah, deputy director of Dubai Police's Rescue Department, said land rescue teams and difficult missions teams rushed to the accident site but one worker was pronounced dead before the teams arrived.

One of the rescued workers was buried in the sand up to his waist, while the other only had his head above the sand, the official said. He said the workers had sustained minor injuries and had been taken to hospital.

"After rescuing the workers, we kept up the search for the third worker. His body was eventually found two hours later because it was buried deep in the sand," Burquibah said.

The accident took place at a project site in Jebel Ali where excavation for canals was in progress. Police received news of the accident at 12.30pm and arrived at the scene along with teams from Dubai Civil Defence.