Authorities have released the details of the 11 people killed in the restaurant explosion in Doha on Thursday, which included five Indians, four Nepalese and two Filipino nationals.
A further 35 others were injured in the blast at the Istanbul Restaurant that one security source said was accidental.
Preliminary investigations suggested a gas tank exploded, setting off a fire and causing part of the building to collapse.
The gas- and oil-rich Gulf Arab state with an estimated national population of at least 200,000 has one of the highest standards of living in the world. The bulk of the 2 million population of Qatar are foreigners.
The restaurant is on the outskirts of the capital near Landmark mall, a well-known shopping complex usually busy with families.
“I was eating in a restaurant close by and suddenly heard a big (blast) and everything around me exploded,” Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kareem, an Indian driver, told Reuters at Hamad hospital. “I have too much damage now, my legs are broken and my head is (wounded).”
The following are the eleven deceased, as published by Doha News:
Zakaria Padinjare Anakandi (India)
Pulikkal Palangad Abul Salam (India)
Riyas Kizhakkemanoli (India)
Venkateswarlu Thammala (India)
Sheikh Babu (India)
Yem Bahadur (Nepal)
Durga Bahadur (Nepal)
Thanka Bahadur (Nepal)
Mann Bahadur (Nepal)
Romar Faduhilao (Philippines)
Charlie de Castro (Philippines)
The incident was the deadliest in Qatar since May 2012, when at least 19 foreign nationals, including 13 children, were killed by a fire in an upscale shopping mall.
The parents of triplets who died in the 2012 shopping mall blaze have called for a “full and transparent” enquiry into the latest incident.
Martin and Jane Weekes, from New Zealand, whose children – two-year olds Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes – perished in the Villaggio Mall fire in May 2012, called on the Qatari government to make the full findings available to the public.
“We are heartbroken to learn of another tragedy in Qatar. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who died in an apparent gas explosion,” said the Weekes in a statement sent to Arabian Business.
“Whatever the cause of the tragedy, we hope that the Qatari government will complete a full and transparent enquiry making the full findings available to the public.
“Unfortunately the families of the Villaggio disaster are still waiting for a full report despite assurances from the Qatar government,” they added.
The statement went on to say: “Hearing of the tragedy has brought some many awful memories of the day we lost our children. Our thoughts are entirely with the families and friends of the victims. We share your grief.”
Last year, a Qatari court sentenced five people, among them the emirate’s envoy to Belgium, to six years in prison over “negligence” that caused the Villaggio Mall blaze.
The five were convicted of negligence, that resulted in the death of 19 people including 13 children and two firefighters.
Four defendants received six-year jail terms, while a fifth received a five-year term, it was reported.
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