Families face heartache and uncertainty after the bodies of Dubai fire victims are returned
▶ Cousin of Pakistani man killed in blaze recalls cries for help as flames spread
Dubai residents have spoken of the heartache faced by families who lost their sole breadwinners in the deadly apartment block fire in Dubai.
Sixteen people were killed and nine injured in a blaze on the fourth floor of a building in Deira on Saturday.
Dubai Civil Defence authorities are investigating the fire.
Preliminary investigations indicate poor safety standards and a lack of compliance with security rules caused the blaze, authorities said.
Three men from Pakistan, a Cameroonian mother and an Egyptian father were among the victims.
Their families face uncertainty because they depended on them to earn money.
The bodies of the three Pakistani men – Muhammad Bilal, Umar Farooq and Muhammad Sajjad – were yesterday returned to their families.
Friends posted videos on Facebook showing hundreds of mourners outside their homes in Dera Ghazi Khan, south-western Pakistan.
Each of the men had large families who depended on them, said Mohammed Jamil, a cousin of Mr Bilal and resident of the building. “Telling our families that they died in a fire has been the worst thing I have had to do,” said Mr Jamil, who was praying in a nearby mosque when the fire began.
“Their children depend on them. They came to work hard for a good life for their families and now there is nothing.
“We are there for their families, but it is not the same.”
Mr Jamil was on the phone with his compatriots as flames engulfed the floor they were trapped on.
“I keep crying. I cannot stop crying. I still hear them yelling and screaming, asking us to help,” he said.
“I could do nothing, we were not allowed to go in.”
Mr Bilal and Mr Farooq worked at a project management company and Mr Sajjad was employed by an air-conditioner repair company.
They worked in Dubai for more than 12 years.
Nicoline Abinkeng, 28, was also among those killed.
She had not gone to work on Saturday because she was upset that her father in Cameroon needed to go to hospital with a stomach ailment.
“She was crying the whole night on Friday,” said her brother, Alain Awunglefac.
Ms Abinkeng was a chef and lived in Dubai for seven years.
Her 13-year-old daughter was being looked after by a sister.
“Nicky was lying in bed when a friend rushed in and said they had to leave because of a fire,” Mr Awunglefac said.
Two friends from Cameroon escaped the blaze by jumping to floors below.
“The others got injured in the fall and some got burnt, but they are alive. My sister did not make it,” Mr Awunglefac said.
“Her biggest dream was to work hard and save for her daughter and our parents. She was so popular and was the best chef.
“We have cried all our tears. This is a shock and something that is very heavy for my family to bear.”
Another victim, Walid El Gamal, 51, an Egyptian father of three, was due to start work as a taxi driver in Dubai after Eid Al Fitr.
His family suspect he died in his room.
“He got his new residency. He had a new job and had completed his training with the RTA,” said Radwan Haitham, Mr Gamal’s brother-in-law.
“Walid was so happy. He was very intelligent and kind. He had big dreams to work and continue his life for his family in Dubai.”