MANAMA, 8 July 2005 — A fire that ripped through Le Vendome Hotel in the heart of Manama on Wednesday left two Uzbek women dead and 28 other guests, including Saudis, Thais, Uzbeks, Iraqis and Moroccans injured.
The two women were found unconscious — on the stairwell by firefighters about an hour after the fire broke out — during a floor-to-floor search of the rooms to make sure no one was left behind.
The women were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Police later said the women were sought by them for overstaying their visit visas. The women died as a result of smoke inhalation.
More than 60 firefighters backed by helicopters from the Ministry of Interior took part in the operation rescuing stranded guests, including a number of Saudis, who were standing on the edges of their room windows and the hotel rooftop.
At least three Saudis were among the 40 guests rescued from the burning building as they stood on window edges. Twenty-eight of those rescued had to be treated for smoke inhalation in a nearby hospital.
Head of the Civil Defense and Fire Service Col. Khalid Al-Absai said the fire was spotted by a traffic unit on patrol in the area that saw smoke coming from the six-story hotel and informed the Fire Department and hotel officials setting into motion a massive coordinated effort that involved firefighters, police, airmen and paramedics. “The fire began on the second floor and spread to the first and third floor and an adjacent restaurant,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation but according to one hotel official they believe that an electrical problem might have triggered the deadly fire.
