Two residents in critical condition following explosion at Al Khail Gate community
Dubai: An explosion ripped through an apartment in Dubai's Al Khail Gate community on Wednesday morning, wrecking its walls and severely injuring two people, security guards said.
Dubai Civil Defence has confirmed that it was a gas cylinder explosion.
The blast happened on a fifth-floor apartment of Building Number 39 in Phase 1 of the Al Khail Gate community in Al Quoz.
Rashid Hospital Trauma Care spokesperson confirmed that two victims of the cylinder blast were brought in in an extremely critical state.
Lt. Colonel Ahmad Burquibah, Deputy Director of Search and Rescue at Dubai Police, said the rescue department received word about the incident at around 11.30am.
"Teams got there in six minutes. When we got there the building had already been evacuated and we were told that there are two women and a baby missing," he said.
"We first found the baby, who sustained minor injuries. Then we found a woman stuck under the rubble, we took her out, and then found the other woman a while later, also under the rubble," Lt. Col Burquibah said.
Residents in the neighbouring buildings said they heard the explosion around 11:20am."It was a very loud noise. Everyone in the surrounding buildings heard it...and we heard people screaming," an Indian woman said.
Everybody was out on the balconies and many people came running down."
"We saw the flat on the top floor severely damaged...mainly the walls and all the rubble were lying around on the ground."
The walls of the flat towards its balcony were completely ripped off, while a supporting beam and the roof of the rooms only sustained minor damage. The balcony of a flat just beneath the affected flat was also damaged.
Eyewitnesses also said there was no fire after the explosion.
"We were rattled as the blast shook the building," said another resident in the adjacent building.
Many residents in the community rushed to the spot and made frantic calls to ensure the safety of their dear ones.
"My friend and child had walked past that building just a couple of minutes before the explosion. Thank God they had a narrow escape," said one woman who was seen among the residents who came to the spot.
A Dubai Civil Defence spokesperson said that the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder.
"The explosion critically injured two women, and damaged the two nearby apartments in addition to a nearby building," he said.
He added that Civil Defence evacuated the building as soon as they arrived, then allowed tenants back in after they insured it was safe. Only tenants of the fifth floor were not allowed back.
"The developer, Dubai Properties, is arranging temporary residence for those living on the fifth floor."
By 1.41pm the Civil Defence had finished handling the incident and its aftermath, he said.
© Gulf News 2016
