09.11.2007

Seven dead in bridge collapse in UAE

At least seven people, all Indian nationals, were killed and about 15 injured yesterday in Dubai when a bridge under construction collapsed. All seven were employed by Wade Adams a long established contractor in the Gulf region.

The bridge is around 50 metres long, and is being built as part of a new marina near the Palm Jumeirah resort.

Police and rescue workers at the site said that about 40 construction workers were on or under the structure when a crane striuck it with a 1.5 tonne load that it was preparing to place onto the bridge.
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The bridge in Dubai

However Matar Saeed al-Tayer, director general of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, was quoted as saying that the incident occurred after the crane placed an excessive amount of steel onto the bridge, causing the collapse.

"The amount of steel placed was more than allowed. There are certain safety rules that any contractor should adhere to," the official WAM news agency quoted Tayer as saying.