Fire sweeps through Qatar shopping mall, killing 19 < br />

2012-05-29 06:47:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

DOHA, QATAR (BNO NEWS) -- A large fire swept through one of Qatar's fanciest shopping malls on Monday, killing thirteen young children and several teachers, government officials said. Children from Spain, France, New Zealand and other countries are among those killed.

The fire broke out at around 11 a.m. local time at the Villaggio Mall in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Witnesses said the fire may have started at the Nike store or the Go Sport shop, but Qatar's interior ministry only confirmed that the fire had started somewhere between Gates 3 and 4 at the complex.

Health Minister Abullah Khalid Al-Qahtani confirmed nineteen people were killed in the blaze, including thirteen young children, four adult teachers and two civil defense personnel. Seventeen others were injured, including four children and a number of civil defense personnel.

Interior Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani said authorities received the first call at 11:03 a.m. local time, and police officers as well as a civil defense team arrived at the scene within approximately two minutes. The first ambulances arrived within eight minutes after the fire was reported.

But responding firefighters were not made aware that there was a nursery inside the complex, and rescue workers instead focused on extinguishing the fire. Authorities received another emergency call at 11:34 a.m. explaining that about 20 children were trapped in the nursery, after which a rescue operation was launched.

The thick smoke and high temperatures inside the mall made it difficult for firefighters to access the nursery, forcing them to access the nursery through the roof of the mall. "Then firefighters accessed the place of children through the ceiling of the mall and rescue personnel spent great and painstaking efforts in order to save the children and staffers trapped in the nursery, as a result, two men from the Civil Defense were martyred while they were carrying out their noble mission," the interior ministry said in a statement.

Al Thani said rescue workers searched the mall several times to confirm no one else was left trapped inside the building, which did not have clear floor plans. Witnesses said emergency exits were not visible and most of the sprinklers did not work due to an apparent malfunction.

Among those killed were four Spanish children, a three-year-old French child, and New Zealand triplets, according to officials in those countries. There were also media reports that some of the other children were from Japan, the Philippines and Benin, but those reports could not immediately be verified.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-05-29

Very sad. RIP, little ones and those who tried to save them.

I thought such this only happens in 3rd world countries like Thailand and Myanmar?

I think it happens everywhere. The difference is the frequency.

Al Thani said rescue workers searched the mall several times to confirm no one else was left trapped inside the building, which did not have clear floor plans. Witnesses said emergency exits were not visible and most of the sprinklers did not work due to an apparent malfunction.

Now that does sound like Thailand.

Al Thani said rescue workers searched the mall several times to confirm no one else was left trapped inside the building, which did not have clear floor plans. Witnesses said emergency exits were not visible and most of the sprinklers did not work due to an apparent malfunction.

Now that does sound like Thailand.

I sometimes wonder if there is any topic, no matter how sad, no matter how unconnected to Thailand, that won't be taken up to bash Thailand.