Prayers for lives lost in Dubai fire as sombre Eid awaits survivors

Residents mourn friends and family, and pray for loved ones who were among 16 killed

Mansour Thekkilparambil and his wife, left, with their friends Rijesh Kalangadan and Jeshi Kandamangalath, who were among those killed in the Deira fire that took the lives of 16 people. Photo: Mansour Thekkilparambil

Mr Thekkilparambil and Mr Kalangadan had a bond that dates back decades. The two men come from the same village in Mallapuram district in Kerala, India. Photo: Mansour Thekkilparambil

The Thekkilparambil family will have a subdued Eid this year after losing two of their closest friends in the Deira, Dubai, fire. Photo: Mansour Thekkilparambil

The Thekkilparambil and Kalangadan families were together the night before the fire on Friday and shared an iftar meal as they did many times in the past. Photo: Mansour Thekkilparambil

Mr Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath had a large network of friends and colleagues and had lived in Dubai for more than 10 years. Photo: Kalangadan and Kandamangalath family

The final prayers for Mr Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath were read at a home they were building in Kerala, with the housewarming ceremony planned for the summer vacation. Photo: Kalangadan and Kandamangalath family

Mourners gather around an ambulance carrying the bodies of Mr Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath to their home in southern Kerala state, where the last rites were held on Monday. Photo: Kalangadan and Kandamangalath family

Mr Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath lost their lives in the fire when they were unable to leave the fourth floor of the building. Photo: Kalangadan and Kandamangalath family

Gudu Saliyakoondu with his children and niece at home in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state. Photo: Gudu family

The residential building was devastated by the fire, which killed several people. Reuters

The exterior of the building in Dubai. Reuters

People, including residents, stand outside the building that was devastated by the fire. Reuters

Smoke damage caused by the fire mar the building's facade. Reuters

It will be a subdued Eid Al Fitr for many survivors of a deadly Dubai apartment building blaze that killed 16 people and injured nine more.

They will mourn and pray for friends and family who died in Saturday's devastating fire.

The four-storey building in Deira was home to people who shared close, decades-old ties.

Many neighbours had grown up in the same towns and villages in India and Pakistan and often visited each other's homes.

Several residents said they did not have the heart to celebrate Eid this year, while others said they would pray for those killed in the fire.

Memories of past Eid celebrations

Mansour Thekkilparambil’s family fled from their third-floor apartment in time, seconds after he heard shouts of "fire" on Saturday afternoon.

He tried to warn his friend Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, and his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32, who lived on the floor above where the blaze began, but the couple were trapped by the heat and smoke.

Mr Thekkilparambil, 31, from Kerala, and his wife and his daughter are temporarily staying with friends after Dubai Civil Defence sealed off the building for investigation and safety reasons.

“This time there is no Eid for us,” he said.

“Every celebration we spent time together with Rijesh and Jeshi. Most times during Eid they were always with us.

"We will pray for them.”

The night before the fire took the lives of his friends, the families shared iftar and suhoor and chatted until the early hours of the morning.

Ms Kalangadan and Ms Kandamangalath then left Mr Thekkilparambil's residence at about 3am on Saturday.

That was the last time the couples saw each other.

The families had planned to meet at the Kalangadan home for iftar on Saturday evening.

Instead, Mr Thekkilparambil frantically called his friend to tell him to leave the building as the fire took hold. He also raced up the back stairs along with three others to try and get the couple to safety.

"It is impossible to think of not seeing them and of life without them," he said.

Mr Thekkilparambil is Muslim and Mr Kalangadan a Hindu, and they are from the same village in Mallapuram district in India's southern Kerala.

“They are Hindu, we are Muslim, that does not make a difference. We celebrated all festivals together.

"We said 'bye that morning and were to be together for iftar in a few hours.

“Their heart was so good. We miss them."

Prayers for victims

Residents have been allowed to enter the building to retrieve their belongings.

The building management has told them they will be allowed to return after investigations and cleaning operations are completed.

Salinga Gudu described it as the “saddest time” as he accompanied his younger brother’s body to their home town in Tamil Nadu.

Gudu Saliyakoondu, 48, a watchman, died as he was trying to save residents trapped inside the building.

When the fire and thick smoke spread across the fourth floor, Saliyakoondu rushed up to try and help residents desperately crying for help.

His elder brother Mr Gudu, 55, who lived near by, watched helplessly as the fire spread.

“My brother went to his death. We now just have his memories,” Mr Gudu said.

“No one knew him in life. The world knows him in death because of the people he helped save.

“All we can do is pray for him. He had three young children.

"Not one of us can understand how to handle our grief."

Together in mourning

Volunteers and social workers who have been assisting families with paperwork share their grief.

Social worker Naseer Vatanappally has been working with the Indian consulate to help survivors with the documentation to repatriate the bodies.

“There are too many calls from families asking for help, to understand the procedures and how to complete the steps to take the bodies home,” Mr Vatanappally said.

“We are with these families in mourning. It will be a sad Eid for all of us."