Four Indians, including a couple from Kerala, were among 16 people dead after a massive fire broke out in a residential building in Dubai that also injured nine, officials said on Sunday.
The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building in Al-Ras, one of the oldest parts of Dubai, and began spreading to other areas, they said.
Sixteen people died and nine were seriously injured, officials said.
The Indian consulate in Dubai confirmed that four Indians were among the victims.
“The Indian victims include Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, and his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32. The others are Gudu Saliyakoondu, 49, and Imamkasim Abdul Khader, 43,” Bijender Singh, consul, consular and labour, at the Indian consulate, said.
“We have received their passport copies through (Naseer) Vatanappally (an Indian social worker). We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the families and thank the social workers and others who have reached out with support. We are coordinating with the local authorities for the repatriation procedures,” Singh added.
Quoting Naseer Vatanappally, who was at the Dubai police mortuary, the Gulf News earlier reported that four Indians, including a couple from Kerala, had been identified among the victims.
Two men from Tamil Nadu who worked at the building, 3 Pakistani cousins and a Nigerian woman have also been identified.
The Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room was notified about the fire at 12.35pm on Saturday, officials said.
A team from the Dubai Civil Defence headquarters arrived at the site of the blaze and began evacuating residents from the building.
Teams from the Port Saeed Fire Station and the Hamriyah Fire Station were also summoned.
The flames were doused by 2.42pm, the paper said. Around 3pm, the civil defence team rescued the occupants on the third floor with cranes.
Eyewitnesses said they saw flames billowing out of the building, according to the Khaleej Times newspaper.
Videos shared on social media show thick black smoke and flames leaping out of an apartment window, the report said.
The Dubai Civil Defence has attributed the fire to the lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements. The focus is now on identifying the remaining bodies, providing medical attention to the wounded, and rehabilitating survivors who find themselves locked out of the now-sealed building.