4 Indians among 16 dead in Dubai building fire
Dubai (PTI): 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 others, officials said on Sunday.
The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras area, one of the oldest parts of Dubai, and began spreading to other areas, they said.
Sixteen people died and nine others 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 include Gudu Saliyakoondu (49) and Imamkasim Abdul Khader (43)," Bijender Singh, Consul, Consular and Labour, at the Indian Consulate, told PTI.
"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, have 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 12.35 pm on Saturday, officials said.
A team from the Dubai Civil Defence headquarters arrived at the site of the blaze and began evacuating residents in the building.
Teams from the Port Saeed Fire Station and the Hamriyah Fire Station were also summoned.
The flames were doused by 2:42 pm (local time), the paper said.
Around 3pm, the civil defence team rescued the occupants on the third floor by 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.
Authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation to provide a detailed report on the cause of the fire, the Dubai Civil Defence added.
Dubai in recent years has seen a surge of high-rise fires due to flammable siding material.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Five held for MDMA, ganja trafficking in Bengaluru; drugs worth over Rs 5 cr seized
Bengaluru (PTI): Five persons were arrested for allegedly trafficking the banned narcotic substance MDMA and ganja in different parts of the city, police said on Tuesday.
Police said they seized 3.912 kg of ganja, 343 grams of MDMA and 170 grams of other narcotic substances, along with a goods vehicle and a mobile phone, totaling worth Rs 5.77 cr.
The Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch, along with local police, carried out the operation here recently, police said.
The arrests were made on different dates following raids based on credible inputs.
According to police, ganja was being transported near Nayandahalli signal on Mysuru Road. The MDMA and ganja were stored and sold from a lodge in R K Puram and Channasandra Main Road.
Cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, police said.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to procuring the drugs at lower prices from an unidentified foreign national and other sources within the state, and selling them to the public, including college students, for profit, a senior police officer said.
Efforts are on to trace the suppliers, police said.
The accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway, they added.
