Three killed in UAE in restaurant gas blasts
The two separate explosions in the Emirati cities were blamed on malfunctioning gas connections.
Three people were killed and several others wounded after gas malfunctions triggered explosions Monday at restaurants in the United Arab Emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi and its largest city, Dubai.
The Abu Dhabi government's media office confirmed a blast occurred just after 10 a.m. local time in a building on Rashid Bin Saeed Street. A restaurant in the building as well as another in a neighboring building were affected.
“Unfortunately, two victims lost their lives — one near the site of the incident, and a second passer-by who was hit by debris,” the media office announced over Twitter, adding that minor and moderate injuries were being treated.
The explosion, the office reported, was caused by a "misalignment in the gas container fittings following refueling." By early evening the debris was cleared and the road, the main route to the city’s airport, had reopened to traffic.
