16 April 2023 , 10:20
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Sixteen people have died and more are injured after a fire raged through a residential building in Dubai.
The blaze happened in the Al-Ras area and fire crews were on the scene at 12:41 local time (9:41 GMT) on Saturday.
Dubai Civil Defence said the blaze on the fourth floor of the five-storey building was caused by a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements.
Among the dead are four Indian and three Pakistani nationals, local media say.
The Al-Ras area is near the city's gold and spice markets, which are popular tourist attractions.
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Dubai Civil Defence told the UAE newspaper The National that an investigation into the deadly blaze was underway.
A fire swept through an apartment building in an older neighborhood of Dubai (AP)It said it was important that "residential and commercial building owners and residents" fully comply "with security and safety requirements and guidelines to avoid accidents and protect people's lives".
Salinga Gudu told The National that his brother Gudu Saliyakoondu, a watchman from India's Tamil Nadu state, had died trying to save residents inside of the building.
"I was so scared because that is the building my brother works in. He went up to help and never came back down," he said.
A man who was working nearby when the fire broke out told The Associated Press there had been an explosion as if a gas cylinder had caught fire, followed by thick black smoke.
He said neighbours believed people were asleep inside at the time, which is typical for Muslims fasting during daylight hours during Ramadan.
Dubai Civil Defence "stressed the importance of residential and commercial building owners and residents fully complying with security and safety requirements and guidelines to avoid accidents and protect people's lives", the statement reportedly said.