Eleven NRIs died in Dubai fire, Landlords arrested

Deira Dubai, Aug 27, 2008
Abrar Alvi

India's top official in Dubai said that 10 laborers from India killed in the fire and released their names. A Dubai police official says that up to 1,000 laborers were crammed in the 30-room building just behind a police station, near the California Hotel in Naif area of Deira Dubai.

As many as 500 laborers were illegally housed in the building. Two Asian men had been charged with illegally housing people after they divided the one-storey building into numerous living spaces and this is violating Dubai’s health and safety regulations. Ashok Mehta, a businessman told NRI media that safety standards for foreign laborers who work in the Gulf is very critical.

Eleventh person who died from asphyxiation is from Bangladesh. All 10 Indian body were charred who perished in the blaze. Most of the men who died in the blaze worked as recycling box collectors and they earn between US$75 to $100 per month