Dubai apartment fire leaves three Pakistanis dead

Three Pakistanis were among 16 people who lost their lives while nine others sustained injuries in a massive blaze which broke out in Dubai's residential building on Saturday, Gulf News reported. 

An Indian social worker Naseer Vatanappally, who was with the authorities to identify the bodies, said that four Indians, three Pakistanis and a Nigerian woman have been identified. 

“So far, we have managed to identify four Indians, including a couple from Kerala and two men from Tamil Nadu who worked at the building, three Pakistani cousins and a Nigerian woman,” he said.

Vatanappally said that he was coordinating with Dubai Police, the Indian Consulate in Dubai, other diplomatic missions and friends and relatives of the deceased.

Dubai Civil Defence teams were working to douse the fire and urgent medical aid was provided to the injured, said a spokesperson while expressing condolences to the families of those who passed away.

The teams arrived at the site of the incident near the city's Al Ras area within six minutes after they were alerted about the fire.

The spokesperson said that the preliminary investigations reveal a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements that lead to the incident. However, a detailed report on what caused the fire will be provided after a comprehensive investigation.

The building caught fire at 12:35pm on Saturday and was brought under control at 2:42 pm. It broke out in an apartment on the fourth floor of the building.