Ten people have died in a building fire at the UAE, media reports say and at least three or them are Bangladeshi, the expatriates welfare minister says.
The fire broke out at the building in Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah on Friday morning local time, according to the reports.
The building had a tyre manufacturing shop on the ground floor and workers of different nationalities resided on floors above it.
Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told journalists that officilis from Bangladeshi embassy were at the scene.
“The charred bodies are hard to recognise,” he said. “We have so far learnt that three of the victims are Bangladeshis.”
He could not immediately detail on their identities.
The bodies have been kept at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
Media reports say at least 10 others were injured in the incident.
What caused the fire is unclear but the minister said authorities were suspecting an electric short-circuit.
“Rescue efforts are underway,” he said adding they were yet to get detailed information.
The Middle East is Bangladesh’s primary manpower export market. According to government figures, about 1.2 to 1.5 million Bangladeshis are working in the UAE.
Six Bangladeshis were killed in a factory fire at Sharjah in 2013. – bdnews24.com
