It takes time, efforts to build the civic safety mindset..!
The causes of the fire were not known, but the interior ministry said that it broke out at Gate Three. Witnesses said that at least two major shops there were gutted by the fire.
Villagio is one of the most popular shopping and recreational malls in Qatar and features several facilities including cinemas, shops, a theme park and the Venetian Canal that allows visitors to board genuine Venetian gondolas.
The Qatari civil defence has managed to contain a large fire which started at 10am this morning, reported the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).
According to civil defence officials, the fire started in a sport utilities shop located close to Al Deera Souq.
The stacking of goods and strong winds helped the fire to spread to adjoining shops. There were no deaths or injuries, reported QNA.
06-20-2008
Five Sri Lankans have died in a fire accident in Doha, Qatar, midnight yesterday. Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Chairman, Kingsley Ranawaka said that immediate measures will be taken in collaboration with the Sri Lankan embassy there. Two more Sri Lankans are said to be critical.
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
No one was injured in the fire which broke out at 9am in a sports shop between Souq Al Deera and Souq Al Aseeri.
Building the civic safety consensus is a long process, whereas Authorities audit procedures, Administrators upgrade performance, Media spread the awareness and Public accept the new maindset.. It is a collective effort; which reflects the true urban execelence rather than the temprary show off celebrations..
ReplyDeleteI think the Qataris are on the right path, yet the challenges are high..!
Qatar’s Culture Minister’s daughter is among five people who have been arrested in connection with the fire that swept through Doha’s elite Villaggio Mall on Monday. Imran al-Kuwairi owns the Gympanzee nursery where the fire erupted, killing 19 people. Among the dead are triplets from New Zealand, three Spanish siblings, two firefighters and four caretakers.
ReplyDeleteAt a public vigil held on Tuesday, the Culture Minister Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwairi said that his daughter “is the saddest person on earth,” according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, distraught parents of the triplets have called the incident a tragedy and an accident, but have expressed that they do not want to place blame.
The mall’s chief manager and head of security are also being held following witness accounts that mall officials were negligent in their emergency response duties. Qatar’s Attorney General issued called for the arrests yesterday, though it isn’t certain what charges have been made.
According to Reuters, the nursery at the end of a hallway was only accessible by a small passage. Since there was no fire escape, the room became a “death trap” filled with dense smoke and intense heat after the staircase collapsed. Rescue workers were forced to smash through the mall’s roof in an effort to reach the children.
Moroccan firefighter died holding two children in his arms
Arab Times Online reports that “Abdel Khaleq al-Huwari, one of dozens of firemen who responded to the blaze, told AFP that the rescue teams were not informed about the existence of a nursery in the mall until half an hour after they arrived on the scene.”
By the time he reached the nursery, al-Huwari found Moroccan firefighter Husam Shahboun lying dead on the floor “holding two children in his arms. The other (Iranian) firefighter was barely alive when we found him,” Huwari told the paper. “We tried to save him but he died.”
We will continue to follow the developments, and sincerely hope that this devastating event will spur sweeping changes in planning and safety law – not only in the Gulf, but throughought the Middle East, where even more tragedies are inevitable given the shoddy state of construction affairs.
http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/05/culture-ministers-daughter-qatar-fire/#more-75110