According to local media, a fire that engulfed an apartment block in an older section of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has claimed the lives of at least 16 people and injured nine others.
The structure in the Al-Ras area caught fire on Saturday on the fourth story.
The Dubai Civil Defence Force claimed early investigations indicated that “a lack of compliance with building safety and security requirements” brought on the incident, according to a statement cited by The National, a daily headquartered in the UAE.
According to the statement, “relevant authorities are conducting a thorough investigation to provide a detailed report on the accident’s causes.”
About 3.3 million people call Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, home; approximately 90% of them are foreigners.
Authorities have not made the victims’ nationality public.
In recent years, buildings in Dubai and other rapidly expanding cities in the UAE have caught fire. A sizable fire broke out in 2017 at a high-rise that was still being built close to the biggest retail center in the city.On New Year’s Eve two years prior, a fire broke out at a five-star hotel in Dubai, injuring a number of individuals.
A common form of aluminium external cladding with a plastic core that has the potential to be extremely combustible is the reason, according to building and safety experts.
In order to reduce the risk of fire, authorities announced in 2017 the implementation of tighter building requirements, including the installation of fire-resistant cladding.