ID :
9317
Tue, 06/03/2008 - 19:30
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https://oananews.org//node/9317
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Six Indians feared dead in hotel ceiling collapse in UAE
Dubai, Jun 3 (PTI) Six Indian workers are feared dead after a ceiling in an under-construction hotel collapsed onthem, media reports said.
The workers had gone to plug a leakage in the concrete ceiling of the basement of the hotel, which is located inAjman emirate of the UAE Monday.
One body was recovered by police about 16 hours after the accident which happened early Monday morning. By the time of recovery of the body, the concrete had hardened and had tobe drilled out piece by piece.
A report in 'Gulf News' Tuesday said all the victims were Indian workers of Seidco General Contracting which wasbuilding the Laguna Beach Hotel on the Corniche Road in Ajman.
The police had, however, not identified workers’nationalities by Monday.
The police were questioning the site engineer, aconsultant and two others, reports said.
The engineer reportedly said there was a leakage while the concrete was being poured and he had asked the workers togo down and check.
"Within minutes the whole thing went down," he said.
Construction of the hotel was stopped twice earlier and work had been going on intermittently over the past two years,workers said.
Rescue workers could not get the bodies out of the basement of the hotel under construction and had firstdeployed a crane which failed to lift the concrete.
"It is slow work," said one rescue team member, sayinghammers were being used to break the drilled pieces.
According to police, one worker was injured and sent toKhalifa Hospital.
Three cranes of various sizes were brought in to lift the concrete and metal and wood debris from the site, but all hadfailed thus far.
Chief of Ajman Police Col. Ali Abdullah Alwan quoted Seidco representatives as saying that the victims were sixIndian workers.
Meanwhile, a spokesman from the company said it willinvestigate why the accident occurred.
He said it seems the scaffolding or the frame work was not able to take the weight of the concrete causing it tocollapse.
Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid, the rule of Ajman, visited thescene Monday and expressed grief.
The workers had gone to plug a leakage in the concrete ceiling of the basement of the hotel, which is located inAjman emirate of the UAE Monday.
One body was recovered by police about 16 hours after the accident which happened early Monday morning. By the time of recovery of the body, the concrete had hardened and had tobe drilled out piece by piece.
A report in 'Gulf News' Tuesday said all the victims were Indian workers of Seidco General Contracting which wasbuilding the Laguna Beach Hotel on the Corniche Road in Ajman.
The police had, however, not identified workers’nationalities by Monday.
The police were questioning the site engineer, aconsultant and two others, reports said.
The engineer reportedly said there was a leakage while the concrete was being poured and he had asked the workers togo down and check.
"Within minutes the whole thing went down," he said.
Construction of the hotel was stopped twice earlier and work had been going on intermittently over the past two years,workers said.
Rescue workers could not get the bodies out of the basement of the hotel under construction and had firstdeployed a crane which failed to lift the concrete.
"It is slow work," said one rescue team member, sayinghammers were being used to break the drilled pieces.
According to police, one worker was injured and sent toKhalifa Hospital.
Three cranes of various sizes were brought in to lift the concrete and metal and wood debris from the site, but all hadfailed thus far.
Chief of Ajman Police Col. Ali Abdullah Alwan quoted Seidco representatives as saying that the victims were sixIndian workers.
Meanwhile, a spokesman from the company said it willinvestigate why the accident occurred.
He said it seems the scaffolding or the frame work was not able to take the weight of the concrete causing it tocollapse.
Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid, the rule of Ajman, visited thescene Monday and expressed grief.
