Sheikh Mohamed extended his sympathies during a visit to the mourning majlis in Al Ain
32 people are still missing, feared dead, in the remains of the massive fire inL’Isle-Verte, Quebec, Canada.-AP
The owner of a Quebec seniors’ residence that burned to the ground offered his condolences Sunday to the families of the 32 people feared dead as search crews had trouble recovering any more bodies in the ice-covered rubble due to the frigid temperatures and swirling snow. Officials have so far have recovered 10 bodies from the massive fire.
The Sunday afternoon Mass gave residents of the Quebec town of L’Isle-Verte a chance to gather together to share their grief. Roch Bernier, the owner of the Residence du Havre, received a standing ovation from the more than 1,000 people in attendance as he stood up to speak at the Mass.
“What you’re living inside, we are living it inside as well,” he told the gathering. “We will try to find the strength to get through this.”
Bernier later spoke to reporters, but declined to take questions.
The cause of Thursday’s blaze remains under investigation. There were media reports that the fire began in the room of a resident who was smoking a cigarette, but police said that was just one possibility among many.
Quebec police said poor visibility, blowing snow and frigid conditions forced authorities to temporarily suspend searches early Sunday — the fourth day of the excruciating search. Police later resumed the search, a day after the remains of only two more people were pulled from the rubble.
On Saturday, search teams brought in equipment normally used to de-ice ships that pushes out very hot air to melt down ice that police said was 60 centimeters (2 feet) thick in certain places.
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois cut short a trip to Europe to visit L’Isle-Verte on Sunday, where she met with the mayor and went to the scene of Thursday’s fire.
A total of 10 bodies have been recovered as of Sunday evening. The coroner’s office formally identified a third victim on Sunday — Louis-Philippe Roy, 89. About 20 elderly residents survived the fire.
Some were moved to other residences for the elderly in the area, and the Red Cross had raised about C$200,000 ($180,000) to provide clothes, hearing aids, wheelchairs, and other urgent needs.
Many of those who died used wheelchairs or walkers, and some had Alzheimer’s. Firefighters responded within minutes of getting the alarm but said they could only reach one-third of the building because the fire was too intense.
The tragedy has devastated the town of 1,500 people 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of Quebec City. Quebec Minister of Social Services Veronique Hivon said many of the village’s volunteer firefighters had relatives at the retirement home.
The fire came six months after 47 people were killed in the small town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, when a train carrying oil derailed and exploded.
In 1969, a nursing home fire in the community of Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec, claimed 54 lives.
Sheikh Mohamed extended his sympathies during a visit to the mourning majlis in Al Ain
According to an official, several people are still feared trapped in the debris
Amateurs Afzaal Ahmad, Parvez Ahmed, and Arbaaz Ahmad shine with an Impressive 89-point performance at the Emirates Golf Club
The Meteorological Organisation that it is closely monitoring what is being circulated on social media
There have been a series of school fires in the country in recent years, many of them which have turned out to be arson
Salama Alfalacy is into realistic art featuring landscapes and wildlife, while Meera Jamal Al Midfa is setting new grounds in performance art and filmmaking
Dubai Police have asked drivers to be extra cautious
The storm had already claimed the lives of at least two people in China's Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines