An Indian couple is among the 16 people killed in a massive blaze in Dubai on Saturday evening, the report said.
At least 16 were killed and nine others were injured in the blaze in the Al Ras area in Dubai.
According to the report in NDTV, an Indian couple was preparing iftaar for their Muslim neighbours when the mishap occurred.
The couple has been identified as Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, and his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32, both from Kerala.
The report said the couple was preparing Vishusadhya, a Hindu harvest festival meal, for their Muslim neighbours to end their fast on Saturday evening.
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Dubai Civil Defence attributed the blaze to a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements, the report mentioned.
The deceased Kalangadan was a business development manager with a travel and tourism company while his wife Kandamangalath was a school teacher, the report said.
“The couple were celebrating Vishu on Saturday. They were making Vishusadhya, a vegetarian festival feast served on a banana leaf, and had invited their Muslim neighbours, a group of bachelors from Kerala, for iftar,” the Gulf News reported.
The neighbours of the couple in Dubai said they were friendly and used to invite them during festivals, the report mentioned.
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A team from the Dubai Civil Defence headquarters arrived at the site of the blaze and began evacuating residents from the building, it said.
It mentioned teams from the Port Saeed Fire Station and the Hamriyah Fire Station were also summoned.
The flames were doused by 2:42 pm (local time), the paper said.
“Around 3 pm, the civil defence team rescued the occupants on the third floor by cranes,” th report mentioned.
According to the Khaleej Times newspaper, eyewitnesses said they saw flames billowing out of the building.
