The more than 40-story building was ablaze. The skyscraper and neighboring buildings had to be evacuated.
Abu Dhabi (dpa) - In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a skyscraper that is almost 200 meters high burned down in the evening. The news site Gulf News reported that nine people were slightly injured in the fire in the Abbco Tower in the city of Sharjah, not far from Dubai.
She referred to the chief of civil protection in Sharjah. The fire brigade had managed to bring the fire under control with a large operation.
Images on social media showed that the more than 40-story building, one of the tallest in Sharjah, was ablaze. Burning parts of the building fell from a great height and damaged parked cars. The cause of fire was unclear for the moment.
The high-rise and neighboring buildings have been evacuated, the Khaleej Times news site reported. According to Gulf News, there are apartments on most floors. The building was therefore completed in 2006.
Local residents reported to local media that the fire broke out on the tenth floor around 9:00 p.m. local time; 7:00 p.m. CEST. Muslims worldwide are currently in Ramadan. After sunset, many families come together in their apartments to break the fast together.
In the UAE, high-rise buildings had caught fire several times in recent years. In 2017, a major fire broke out in one of the tallest skyscrapers in the golf metropolis of Dubai for the second time in just a few years. According to the police, all residents could be brought to safety at the time.