Survivors of a Dubai fire this month that killed 16 people and injured nine others remain haunted by the memories of their ordeal.
They told of stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, two weeks after they leapt from balconies to escape the flames that engulfed their five-storey apartment building in Deira.
Some held on to window ledges, hauling themselves into the homes of neighbours. Weeks later, many struggle with nightmares as they remember people who died trying to flee the flames.
We would have died if a person had not shouted, ‘fire, jump, fire.’
Yemdzu Doris Claire,
a survivor
Dubai Civil Defence officials are investigating the cause of the blaze that was reported around 12.30pm on April 15.
Authorities said preliminary investigations indicate lack of compliance with safety standards and inadequate fire protection caused the fire.
Saved by shouts of 'fire'
Yemdzu Doris Claire, from Cameroon, suffered burns to her palms as she gripped an electric cable to break her fall from the fourth floor.
“There was no alarm, no warning,” the 28-year-old said.
“We would not have known there was a fire, we would have died, if a person had not shouted, ‘fire, jump, fire’.”
Ms Claire was asleep in her room with friend Nicoline Abinkeng and five other flatmates that day.
Many victims worked shifts as security and maintenance staff and in the hospitality and travel industries and were resting when the fire broke out.
Thick smoke and flames in the hallway blocked access to the stairs and people ran to their balconies.
Ms Claire jumped and lost consciousness after hitting an air conditioning unit below. But Ms Abinkeng did not make it.
“The smoke was entering our room,” Ms Claire said.
“When we ran to the balcony, people had started jumping.
“Everyone was scared. I did not see Nicky. I thought she jumped already.
“I held on to the electric cable when I jumped. Then I don’t know what happened. I woke up in hospital.”
Ms Claire is being treated for burns, while other friends fractured bones in their hands and legs as they tried to escape.
“I can’t sleep. I haven’t been able rest after the fire,” she said.
“Thank God I am alive, but I lost my friend.”
Ms Claire is now living with her brother and hopes to save enough for a trip back home to her family.
Many survivors who shared apartments have taken shelter with friends and family, while others were given temporary accommodation by the building management in nearby hotels.
The loss of her friend weighs heavily on Ms Claire. Ms Abinkeng was a young mother with a teenage daughter back in Cameroon.
“Nicky was a promising girl with big dreams and a bright future,” she said.
“She would have been 29 on April 23.
“We will always remember her.”
Survivor’s guilt
Four Indians, three Pakistanis, six Sudanese, one Cameroonian, one Egyptian and one Jordanian were killed in the fire.
Experts said it could take months or years for those who survived to handle the grief and stress.
Arathi Vijayan, a clinical psychologist at Zulekha Hospital in Dubai, said symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder make it difficult for survivors to function.
“They are not able to move beyond a point in life, that is where they are stuck,” she said.
“The incident gets imprinted in their brain and creates a change in how they process and deal with situations.”
Ms Vijayan said losing friends added to their distress levels.
“It’s pure grief they are going through, apart from the anxiety and stress.
“Many go through survivor’s guilt, as they feel it should have been them and their dear ones should not have died.
“They had a personal connection with people who died so it makes it even more difficult to deal with anxiety.
“The best way is to seek help or be each other’s support.”
‘A sight I see when I shut my eyes’
Tchafa Louis, also from Cameroon, cries as he recalls the smoke closing in.
He shared an apartment on the fourth floor with six others and escaped with only a sprained foot.
He lives with the trauma of seeing Ms Abinkeng who did not survive after she jumped.
It is a memory he is unable to erase.
“She fell in front of us,” he said.
“I see that sight every time I shut my eyes.”
The 24-year-old, who works as a cleaner, has asked his family to send him money for a flight home.
“I keep seeing myself jumping. There was no other way to get out,” he said.
“I jumped from the fourth, to the third and then to the first floor.
“It impossible to sleep since that day. I can’t forget.”
‘Thank God, I’m alive’
Ricardo Boygeh, a security guard from Liberia, shared a room with eight others and was asleep when he heard shouts of ‘fire’.
He was among the last residents to remain on their balcony, until toxic fumes and the flames got too intense.
Seeing people injure themselves when they jumped, made him desperately search for another route.
Mr Boygeh got to safety by clinging to the window ledge.
“We first tried to use the door to exit but the fire was in our neighbour’s room.
“The smoke was so thick we could not see anything,” the 33-year-old said.
“I saw people jump, one, two, three, then the Cameroon lady jumped and she went all the way to the ground.
“I held on to windows and got to an apartment below.”
He is now living with a friend and requires treatment for his injured right foot.
“When I’m asleep, everything comes back,” he said.
“All the pictures come into my head and I cry.
“Then I wake up. I remember so many people lost their lives, so I thank God I’m alive.”
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Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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Dust storm
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GAC GS8 Specs
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Lexus LX700h specs
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Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
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Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
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INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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