Man suffocates to death after falling into manhole in UAE

Ras Al Khaimah - His coworker narrowly escaped a similar fate.

An Asian worker fell to death in a sewage manhole at a home in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
The victim's coworker narrowly escaped a similar fate, according to sources at RAK's civil defence.
The central operations room of the Ras Al Khaimah police dispatched ambulances, civil defence officers, paramedics, and rescue teams to the site in Jazirat Al Hamra.
"Rescue teams immediately lifted up the fallen workers, but one of them was already dead. 
"Initial investigations of the mishap show that the duo was working in one of the houses here when they fell into the sewage manhole."
"The second worker received several injuries and was shifted to the hospital for treatment and medical care."
The same sources added that the RAK civil defence teams attended to 15 different fires and incidents over the last few days.
"Some of these included massive fires, but no human casualties were reported."
The civil defence teams also dealt with some traffic accidents in which three people received minor to medium injuries, they stated.
"Different vehicles also caught fire for different reasons, and these were put out using water and foam."
They were also cooled for some time so as not to start again, they said.
People should avoid entering fire sites to save any of their belongings, no matter how precious they are.
"Not only flames, but also heavy smokes pose a grave risk to people's life. Hence, no one but professional, well-trained firefighters can handle these fires."
Priority is always given to rescuing people and saving their lives, they underlined. "More attention is given to children, women, old people, and patients."
Poor maintenance of an air conditioner led to a massive fire that ended in the tragic death of seven children at one time in the emirate of Fujairah.
A father suffocated to death in another inferno in the same emirate, while his wife and kids were rescued after sustaining injuries and inhaling smoke.
"Leading factors contributing to the combustion of air conditioners, fans or related equipment are mostly mechanical or electrical failures due to either poor quality or maintenance."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com 

• Ras Al Khaimah