A 35-year-old father of three was killed after a tyre he was filling with air exploded, a police source said yesterday.
The accident happened on Saturday at 7pm, police said. The man died at the scene after suffering severe head injuries.
Ahmad Mafa'alani, who works in his family's tyre-repair shop in Sharjah, died after filling it up and fixing it to a rim.
Naser Mafa'alani, the older brother of Ahmad, told Gulf News his brother was pumping air into a new tyre of Chinese manufacture when it exploded.
"It was a new tyre … that came from a company in Ajman," Naser said.
"He filled the tyre with air. We used to buy the tyres from international outlets, but sometimes we buy fake ones.
"Ahmad finished fixing the first tyre and started with the second one. He filled it with air and stood up and that was when the tyre explode and threw him back and he hit his head.
He died instantly, suffering bleeding of the brain.
"We rushed to him to find out what happened. We do not understand what happened. We called the police and ambulance, which took him to the hospital, but he was already dead," Naser said.
"The tyre hit him in the head. It was a new tyre.
"We do not know what was wrong with the tyre. We will wait for the police report to find out what happened and what was wrong. My brother fills it to the correct level and fixes it to the rim in the correct way.
"This kind of tire is called topless. When my brother filled it with air, it exploded from the other side.
"He has worked in the business for more than 10 years.
"He is my youngest brother. It is his destiny and it is Allah's will. We do not know what we will do and nothing can replace him. He is married and has three children who are in Syria, his home country."
Mafa'alani came to the UAE four months ago to work in the tyre shop owned by his family.
"We have been working in this business for more than 30 years and we have never had such an incident.
"We know that the tyre could explode when driving on the road, but to explode while filling it with air is strange," Naser said.
Police sources said they are investigating the incident. "We will find out if the accident happened because something was wrong with the tyre or if the tyre was not handled properly," a police source said.
Gulf News contacted the tyre-supply company in Ajman.
Mohammad, who is an accountant with the company, said they only buy tyres from the agents and they sell them.
"We are not the people who made the tyres. We are not responsible for it."
The police have yet to contact the workshop, he said.
"If anyone calls us, we can then find out what happened and why. Maybe it was not because of the tyre, but maybe the explosion occurred because of a technical reason," he said. "We will find out soon what had happened."
Gulf News
