Dubai's palm island hit by blaze

A fire in Dubai has damaged buildings and injured three people at a huge man-made, palm-shaped island being developed off the coast.
The fire burned for about two hours, sending smoke billowing over the luxury Palm Jumeirah project and along the beachfront districts of Dubai.

Reports said the blaze started in the basement of an unfinished tower block.

One report quoted firefighters as saying an electrical fault was to blame.

In January, four workers were killed when a fire broke out at another building site in Dubai, prompting calls for an improvement in safety standards.

Sunday's fire broke out amid a group of apartment blocks on the 2km-long Trunk of the island, which is shaped like a date palm tree.

Hundreds of labourers were evacuated from the scene. One construction worker was hospitalised and two others treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, officials said.

The Palm Jumeirah is part of a $14bn project to build several man-made islands. Some 14,000 labourers are working on the project to build the island group.

According to the company developing the island group - state-owned Nakheel - Palm Jumeirah was built using 100 million cubic metres of sand and rock, and is large enough to be seen from space.