Dubai airport terminal collapses
At least 5 killed, 12 injured at terminal construction site
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Five people were killed and 12 others injured after part of a terminal under construction at Dubai International Airport collapsed, according to a Civil Aviation Authority spokesman.
However, there are reports that the number of casualties in Monday's accident could be higher.
An official of Al-Naboodah Contracting, the main contractor at the site, told The Associated Press: "At least eight people were killed on the spot and some died in hospital, but we don't know how many."
Workers said they saw up to 40 injured people being taken away, AP reported.
Caroline Faraj, editor of CNNArabic.com, said there are unconfirmed reports that up to 10 people had been killed and another 60 injured.
"Rescue efforts are still taking place," she said.
About 150 construction workers were on the site when a large wall of the building collapsed at 11 a.m. (0700 GMT), AP reported.
"When it collapsed, everyone ran for help. Some people were trapped under and were shouting," a worker at the site told Reuters.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.
"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.
Flights in and out of Dubai airport have not been affected by the accident. However, roads leading to the terminal construction site have been closed, she said.
The unoccupied Terminal 3 is part of a $4 billion expansion at the airport.
The airport's Web site says the design consultant for the new terminal is Aeroports de Paris International.
The French company also operates Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where part of a terminal collapsed in May, killing four people.
An Aeroports de Paris official in Dubai said the firm was not involved in the construction where Monday's accident occurred, AP reported.
"We did the architecture, but we have nothing to do with the construction," the official said.
Dubai airport handles 22 million passengers a year.
The expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in 2018, is expect to increase capacity to 60 million passengers a year.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
