Three Pakistanis among 16 killed in Dubai building blaze

DUBAI: Sixteen people were killed, including three Pakistanis, and nine others were injured when a fire broke out in a residential building here, local media reported.

The fire broke out at midday Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city.

The civil defence force, in a statement quoted by the UAE media, said that preliminary investigations showed the fire was caused by “a lack of compliance with building safety and security requirements”.

Hassan Afzal Khan, Pakistan’s Consul General in Dubai, confirmed the death of three nationals and said they were relatives, living in the same building. The three men belonged to Dera Ismail Khan. One of the victims was a bachelor and the two others were married.

Afzal Khan further clarified that the fathers’ names of two victims were similar, but they were not brothers. However, their family members were currently in Dubai and the mission was in touch with them.

The victims’ close family members in Pakistan have been informed about the unfortunate incident. “The bodies are in a local hospital and will be repatriated in a day or two after the completion of procedures,” Khan said adding that there was no report of injured nationals.

Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, has a population of around 3.3 million, of whom almost 90 percent are foreigners. The city has experienced spectacular fires in the past, causing extensive damage but few casualties. In 2017, the authorities announced the adoption of stricter building regulations to minimise the risk of fire, attributed mainly to flammable materials used in the exterior cladding of buildings.