ABU DHAB — Two people were killed and 120
injured in a gas cylinder explosion in a restaurant in the
UAE capital Abu Dhabi, police said.
اضافة اعلان
Initial reports “showed
that 64 people sustained minor injuries, 56 others were moderately wounded, and
two people died”, police tweeted.
The blast on Monday set off a fire that damaged the
facades of six buildings and a number of stores before being brought under
control, they added. Four of the damaged buildings were “safely” evacuated,
with efforts underway to find their residents temporary housing “until the
buildings are completely secured”, the police said. Pictures released by
Abu Dhabi police showed first responders tending to a person on a gurney, and
debris and broken glass strewn across the pavement.
A witness told The National newspaper that he heard
two explosions around lunchtime. “The first sound was small, and people started
calling the fire and police,” said the man, who was not identified. “Then soon,
there was a big blast. It was a really big sound. The windows shook and in some
offices, the windows shattered.”
The authorities gave no indication of foul play.
However, the UAE has been on heightened alert since
a Yemen rebel drone and missile attack killed three oil workers in Abu Dhabi on
January 17. Authorities have since thwarted three similar attacks, including
one claimed by a little-known militant group believed to have ties with
pro-
Iran armed factions in Iraq.
The UAE is part of a
Saudi-led military coalition
that has been fighting in Yemen since 2015 to support the government against
Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
