DUBAI: Rescue workers remove body bags after half-built Dubai bridge collapses

Record ID: 216203

  • Title: DUBAI: Rescue workers remove body bags after half-built Dubai bridge collapses
  • Date: 9th November 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDEL JALEEL MAHDI, POLICE OFFICER AT SITE, SAYING: "What happened was that the crane was operational and it was carrying two tonnes of material. There was a barrier so the crane operation could not see exactly where to lower the crane and so he was relying on the signalling of a fellow construction worker. It seems that it was either a mistake by the
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAF0FAD8L8FIDDRTP2AYVSY7ZE9
  • Story Text: At least seven people were killed and about 15 injured on Thursday (November 8) when a crane hit a half-built Dubai bridge, causing it to collapse in an area near luxury hotels and high-rises in the Gulf tourism hub, officials said.
    About 40 construction workers were on top of the bridge when a crane hit a segment of the structure, bringing it down, policemen and rescue workers at the site said.
    At least three bodies being pulled out and taken away in police vehicles.
    "What happened was that the crane was operational and it was carrying two tonnes of material. There was a barrier so the crane operation could not see exactly where to lower the crane and so he was relying on the signalling of a fellow construction worker. It seems that it was either a mistake by the crane operator or the construction worker who signalled. The crane struck the steel on the bridge and after the collision, the metal collapsed and the bridge fell. Seven workers died and nine are severely wounded and seven with minor injuries'' said Abdel Jaleel Mahdi, a police officer at the site.
    The police brought sniffer dogs to search for any victims buried in the rubble.
    "The bridge collapsed from top to bottom, so there were all kinds of injuries,'' said the head of the rescue operation.
    Most workers in the emirate, witnessing a massive construction boom, are from the Indian subcontinent.
    Two workers were killed and about 60 injured in January when a fire broke out in a tower block under construction in Dubai, the trading and tourism hub of the United Arab Emirates.
    Dubai, one of fastest-growing cities in the world, is home to the world's tallest building and is building the world's largest theme park.
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