DUBAI, 9 November 2007 — Seven people were killed and about 15 others injured when a Dubai bridge collapsed in a luxury area of the emirate yesterday, the police said.
“According to initial reports, seven are dead and about 15 are injured,” said deputy police chief Jamal Al-Marri.
The collapse appeared to be the result of a construction problem, he said by telephone. “Engineers are at the site and are inspecting the situation.”
“More than 40 workers were on the bridge at the time,” a police source said. Residents said the bridge was under construction.
Ambulances and helicopters were rushing to the area located near luxury hotels in the Dubai Marina, which was closed off by police, a witness said.
Two workers were killed and about 60 injured in January when a fire broke out in a tower block under construction in Dubai, the trading hub of the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai, one of fastest-growing cities in the world, is home to the world’s tallest building and building the world’s largest theme park.
Emiratis Go On Trial in Russian Rape Case
Meanwhile, three Emiratis have gone on trial in Dubai accused of raping two Russian girls, one aged 17, after breaking into their home, a state-owned daily said yesterday.
The men, aged 18, 20 and 21, threatened the girls with knives before assaulting them and then making off with a laptop computer and mobile phones, Emarat Al-Youm reported citing a statement from the public prosecutor’s office.
The newspaper did not specify whether the trio had pleaded guilty or not guilty but said that the court had heard testimony from the 17-year-old who identified the defendants as her attackers.
Three other Emirati nationals are still on trial accused of raping a 15-year-old French-Swiss boy in July. The two adult defendants were present in court in Dubai on Wednesday while the third, a minor, is being tried in the Dubai juvenile court.
