Sixteen dead and nine injured after blaze rips through apartment block in Dubai | The Sun

SIXTEEN people have died and nine have been left injured after a horror blaze ripped through an apartment block in Dubai.

Firefighters rushed to the scene in Al-Ras around midday on Saturday and evacuated the building in six minutes – but were unable to save everyone inside.

Dubai Civil Defence said the blaze on the fourth floor of the five-story building was caused by a lack of compliance with building security and safety regulations.

Among the dead are four Indian and three Pakistani nationals, according to local reports.

A relative of one of the deceased told The National: "I was so scared because that is the building my brother works in. He went up to help and never came back down."

According to the news agency AP, a man who had been working nearby had heard a blast as if a gas bottle had caught fire.

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Witnesses believe people may have been sleeping inside at the time as they fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan.

Rescuers had rushed to the scene to try and help but were held back by thick plumes of black smoke.

The blaze was eventually put out two hours later after the fire had killed 16 and left nine injured.

Dubai Civil Defence told the UAE newspaper The National that an investigation into the deadly blaze was underway.

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It said it was important that "residential and commercial building owners and residents" fully comply "with security and safety requirements and guidelines to avoid accidents and protect people's lives".

The initial cause of the fire is currently unknown and no arrests have been made.

The Al-Ras area in the oldest parts of Dubai is near the city's gold and spice markets, a tourist hot spot.

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