Scaffolding collapse claims two

Two Indian workers were killed and three others injured when a scaffolding collapsed at an under- construction building in Dubai Marina on Wednesday evening.

Workers employed as lift technicians with the ETA-Ascon group were trying to check the condition of the scaffolding when it caved in.

The scaffolding extended up to 35th floor and the workers were standing on the ground when the mishap took place. The scaffolding had been installed for the purpose of erecting an elevator.

The dead have been identified as Nizamuddin, 25, and Suleiman, 23, hailing from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Three workers were rushed to Rashid hospital with minor injuries. One of them had a fracture on his leg while the other one sustained minor injuries on his fingers. A worker was discharged from the hospital a few hours after the incident.

Rescue operations lasted for more than eight hours as some of the workers were buried under the debris consisting metal and wood, Dubai police said. A Dubai police helicopter and a large number of ambulances were rushed to the spot during the rescue operations.

M. Kamarajan, General Manager of ETA Ascon, said that next of kin of the deceased would be suitably compensated as per the UAE laws and company's regulations.

"Each worker would be given Dhs50,000 from the welfare fund of the company in addition to Dhs18,000 as legal compensation and Dhs25,000 as the insurance. Family members of the deceased would also be given 36 months salary as compensation," said Kamarajan while speaking to The Gulf Today.

"We would also be bearing the expenses involved in the treatment of those who are injured. Since the injuries are not serious, we hope that workers would resume their duties in a couple of weeks," he said.

He said that ETA Ascon is just the sub-contractor for the project while the main contractor is Dubai Civil Engineering (DCE). A representative of the DCE said that sub-contractor is responsible for the safety of the scaffolding and none of their workers were involved in the mishap.

Workers who witnessed the accident said that police had to dig out a wall to pull out the bodies from the rubble. "The rescue operations continued till late in the night as bodies were buried under a heavy load of debris which included metal and wood," said a worker who was present at the scene of the accident during the rescue operations and does not want to be named.

"One of the workers was transported to the hospital immediately after the accident while the other trapped workers were pulled out from the rubble later," he said.

An official from Dubai Municipality said that they have immediately sent a team to inspect the building site.

A number of workers died in various construction site related accidents this year.

An Indian worker died and two Bangladeshis were seriously injured when the scaffolding on which they were standing collapsed at a construction site in Al Nahda on Jan.22.

Two workers died and 23 others injured when scaffolding of an under construction building collapsed in Al Quoz on June 13.

One worker was killed and two others were injured in the accident when the trench caved in front of Al Ghusais police station on Oct.22.

Two Indian workers died in a wall collapse incident in Baniyas Square in Dubai on Oct.22.

A worker from Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh died when a crane collapsed from the 25th floor of an under construction tower in Sharjah on Oct.23.

Seven workers died and 19 others were injured in the accident when an under construction bridge collapsed in Dubai Marine on Nov.8.