‘HE WASN’T JUST MY BROTHER, HE IS A PIECE OF MY HEART’
▶ Family and friends grieve after Dubai building fire leaves 16 dead
Grieving relatives and friends of 16 people killed in a fire on the fourth floor of a building in Deira, Dubai, have described terrifying scenes as smoke billowed out of apartments.
A couple from Kerala and two men from Tamil Nadu were killed when the blaze broke out in a residential neighbourhood packed with restaurants and tailor shops off Al Khaleej Street on Saturday afternoon.
Three Pakistani cousins were also among the dead.
A Cameroonian woman and four people from Sudan were also killed, according to relatives and volunteers assisting in the repatriation of bodies.
The bodies of four victims have not yet been identified.
A further nine people were injured, Dubai Civil Defence said.
Gudu Saliyakoondu, 48, a watchman from Tamil Nadu, died as he was trying to save residents trapped inside the building, said his brother Salinga Gudu.
“He was not just my younger brother, he is a piece of my heart,” the elder sibling told The National.
“I’m crying and crying and wish I could have stopped him from going up to help people.”
Mr Gudu, 55, an embroider, rushed from a neighbouring building where he lives when he heard shouts of “fire”.
“I saw so much smoke and heard a loud blast,” he said.
“There were flames and smoke pouring out of some houses. I was so scared because that is the building my brother works in.
“He went up to help and never came back down.”
He spoke to Mr Saliyakoondu’s friends who said his brother rushed into the building when a resident told him of the fire.
“My brother went to help people, to save them,” he said.
“Then he came down to get a fire extinguisher to put out the fire that was inside a room. His friends told him not to go back because it was too hot. If I was there, I would not have allowed him to go up again.
“I would have told him it was too dangerous, that there was too much smoke. There was smoke everywhere and people could not get out.”
Pakistani Mohammed Jamil lost three cousins in the fire.
Mr Jamil worked with his cousins Muhammad Bilal and Umar Farooq in a project management company and another relative Muhammad Sajjad worked for an air-conditioner repair company.
All three men from Dera Ghazi Khan in south-west Pakistan were together in a room when the blaze engulfed the floor.
Minutes before, Mr Bilal, who had just finished a night shift, met Mr Jamil outside the building.
“We had finished the night shift and he said he would go upstairs to rest for a few hours,” Mr Jamil told The National.
“After 10 minutes, Bilal called saying, ‘There is a fire, help us, save us.’”
“I could do nothing. We were not allowed to go up.”
Other residents and fire safety officials stopped anyone entering the building.
Mr Jamil now hears his cousin’s voice echoing in his head and cannot forget his final words.
“He kept calling and saying, ‘Save us, save us’, then the phone got cut. All my cousins died,” he said.
“I have been crying and crying since yesterday, I keep remembering what happened.”
A painter from Tamil Nadu and a couple from Kerala were also among the victims.
Eye witnesses said Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, a manager at a tourism company near the burning building, rushed in to save his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32, but neither survived.
Imam Kasim Khader, 42, a painter from Tamil Nadu, died in the fire.
An official from the Indian consulate confirmed the names of the four Indians who died, saying “all possible assistance” would be provided.
Dubai Civil Defence said poor safety standards caused the blaze.
“Preliminary investigations showed that lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements caused the fire,” it said.
“Relevant authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation to provide a detailed a report on the causes of the accident.”
Authorities asked building owners to ensure they comply with safety guidelines.