Councilman in Dubai to speed return of Naif victims

DUBAI // Indian officials have travelled to Dubai to try to speed up the repatriation of the remains of 10 men who died in last month's Naif villa fire. Kumireddy Ramlu, an assemblyman from Metpalli, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where many of the men killed were from, is helping the Indian consulate co-ordinate the repatriation. Eleven men - 10 Indians and a Bangladeshi - died in the blaze on Aug 26 at the Naif villa, which housed more than 500 men. Their bodies were badly burnt and Dubai Police have yet to complete DNA tests on the remains, meaning they remain at a mortuary in Al Qusais.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai said yesterday that Mr Ramlu met the consul general, Venu Rajamony, regarding the delay in releasing the bodies. "Mr Rajamony met [Mr Ramlu] and ... assured him that the bodies would be repatriated as soon as the DNA test is complete and Dubai Police hands over the bodies." [e-mail]