Dubai airport building site collapse kills five

A steel mesh wall collapsed on workers building a multi-billion-dollar extension to Dubai's international airport yesterday, killing five and injuring 12, authorities said.

"During the preparation of a wall, a section of the reinforcement cage fell, trapping workers," Dubai's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said in a statement.

"Twelve workers were rescued and sent to hospitals with injuries while five succumbed in the incident." The accident occurred at the site of a $4.1 billion expansion project for Dubai airport, one of the busiest in the Middle East.

"When it (the wall) collapsed, everyone ran for help. Some people were trapped under and were shouting," a worker at the site told Reuters.

Hundreds of workers, mostly Asians, were seen streaming off the construction site and were driven away in buses. Police sealed off the area as ambulances and police cars rushed in and out.

Many workers were caught underneath the rubble and it was not immediately known if the rescue operation was over.

The DCA said it was launching an investigation. Dubai, one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, is a rapidly growing regional trade and tourism hub.

Dubai airport is a main transit route for Asia and the West, handling 18 million passengers last year.