ABU DHABI // Ten people were killed and eight injured – some severely – when a fire ripped through an illegal workers accommodation in Mussaffah early on Friday morning.
The blaze started on the first floor – where warehouse space was being used for illegal accommodation – of a two-floor commercial building that contained seven shops and a car repair shop.
Police said they had arrested the owner of the building and that they were still trying to find out how the fire started.
Abu Dhabi Police Operations Room received a report at 3.44 in the morning that a fire had broken out in car repair workshops in the Mussaffah industrial qrea.
Firefighters from various fire stations, as well as police traffic patrols, ambulance and rescue services and detectives immediately rushed to the scene.
The injured were given first aid by medics and then taken to hospital while police and firefighters began the grizzly task of recovering the 10 bodies.
Mohammed Kalim, who works in a car repair shop in Mussaffah, said : “I don’t know the men but I feel sad. This can happen to anyone. We all want to know what happened.”
A private driving instructor, who who did not want to be named, said he did not believe the news when he first heard it.
“I was praying in the mosque near my house and I heard the men discussing it. I was heartbroken at the lives lost,”he said.
Egyptian Mohammad Saleem, who lives in Mussaffah, said: “It is very sad, and worrying as well. I hope there is an explanation to the fire, and I wish others would take note and be cautious.”
Samea Jazar, from Libya, said he had witnessed similar fires in the past few years in Mussaffah. However, he was shocked to hear the high number of deaths.
“I wish those who are injured a quick recovery and hope such issues don’t continue,” he said.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
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