Riyadh: Mangalorean Among Seven Dead in Major Fire Mishap
News: P A Hameed Padubidri, Riyadh-Saudi Arabia
Daijiworld Media Network
Riyadh, Jul 2: Seven people including a Mangalorean died due to suffocation caused by a fire that broke out at a residential apartment at Batha, a commercial hub of Riyadh.
The incident took place at around 2 am on Saturday July 2 in a multistoried building near Batha Manila Complex.
Among the deceased are six Indians, of whom five are Keralites and one is a Mangalorean by name Kota Mohammed. The Keralites are Kabir Ahmad, Abdul Rahim, Ajith, Sajith and Suleiman. Rajesh, a Nepali, also perished in the incident.
The building is largely occupied by Keralites. E Ahamed, minister of state for external affairs expressed his deep commiseration over the catastrophe that left seven dead and said that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will probe the cause of the fire thoroughly.
It has been informed to Daijiworld reporter P A Hameed Padubidri that upon returning from their routine jobs, the seven took dinner and slept in the apartment situated in the third floor of the building. Around 2 am, a fire broke out in the apartment and soon it was engulfed in smoke. They tried to escape, but they could not because of the thick fumes. Most of them breathed their last due to suffocation, sustaining burn injuries on their bodies. It is said that the cause of the fire was short circuit.
It is further informed that Kota Mohammed, aged 43, hails from Kota-Kundapur in Udupi District. He was working in a fish market for the past six years. He had been in his friend’s room for the last two days as he was not well and returned to the ill-fated room on the previous day. He is survived by his wife, two children and parents.
The fire brigade team and other officials rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire and prevented it from spreading to adjacent buildings.
The bodies were taken to Sumeshi Hospital and kept in the mortuary awaiting legal formalities. A huge crowd including several members of Malayalee social organizations and Mangaloreans rushed to the hospital to identify the bodies.