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Five dead, many injured in Dubai airport wall collapse

DUBAI - Five persons were killed in the collapse of a concrete wall under construction as part of the expansion works at the Dubai International Airport on Monday morning.

By Our Staff Reporters

Published: Mon 27 Sep 2004, 12:47 PM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 2:47 PM

Twelve workers were rescued and rushed to Rashid Hospital by Emergency personnel. The mishap occurred at 10.45 am, when a section of the reinforcement cage fell, trapping workers, said a release from the Department of Civil Aviation.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the department of civil aviation and chairman of the Emirates Group, said, 'It is a tragic situation for all of us. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased workers'.

Labourers at the site told Khaleej Times that the victims were mainly Indian and Pakistani workers.

The official WAM news agency reported 'many' casualties.

A construction official said about 150 workers were on the site when the structure collapsed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The reason was not immediately known.

Khaleej Times reporters at the site learnt that thelabourers were working for a UAE-British consortium Al-Nabooda Laing, which,last year, won a multi-million-dollar engineering, procurement and construction contract. The package covers construction of the second concourse, third terminal and car parking buildings.

The airport is being upgraded and expanded in a program costing US$4.1 billion. It bills itself as “the world’s fastest growing airport.”

The design consultant for the Terminal 3 construction is Aeroports de Paris International, according to the airport’s official web site. The French firm also operates Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where part of a terminal collapsed in May, killing four people.

An Aeroports de Paris official in Dubai said the firm was not involved in the construction where Monday’s accident occurred.

“We did the architecture, but we have nothing to do with the construction,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Dubai airport caters for 22 million passengers a year. The expansion is designed to boost the airport’s capacity to 60 million passengers a year when it is completed in 2018.

Agencies also contributed to this report