AHMADI, KUWAIT // An explosion caused by a gas leak tore through a Shia prayer hall last night, injuring four of the worshippers and trapping another four under the rubble.
"It's a gas explosion," said Sheikh Jaber al Sabah, the minister of the interior, speaking at the site of the devastated two-storey husseineyah, where the Shiites had last week celebrated the religious festival of Ashura. Ahmadi is in the south of the country.
"We took them from under the rubble. I spoke to two of them," he said. "They are not buried; they are under the rubble. There's a difference. I hope in a few hours they will finish the job."
The acting director for the Kuwaiti fire department, Brig Ameen Abdeen, said: "There is communication between the fire department and the people under the rubble. There were wooden shelves and they're hiding under the shelves."
Rescue workers, he said, were waiting for heavy equipment. Tracing dogs were at the scene but not on the pile of rubble.
Dozens of rescue workers with sound equipment to help locate the four people were at the ready.
Mr Abdeen said eight people were in a large kitchen, cooking for the rest of the worshippers.
An entire corner of the large building collapsed. Smashed cars and debris littered the surrounding area and a large crane loomed over the site, ready to remove the rubble.
jcalderwood@thenational.ae
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.