An interior ceiling of Ramez store on Salwa Road partially collapsed this morning, injuring shoppers who were inside, the Ministry of Interior has confirmed.
Authorities have not yet revealed the number of casualties at the shop in Al Mirqab Al Jadeed, near the junction with C-Ring Road.
One police officer at the scene told Doha News that 14 people were injured. However, a store employee, who had his arm in a sling, said there were seven people, including two children, injured.
The store was busy with shoppers when a section of the ceiling on what is understood to be the upper floor of the two-story building gave way, just before noon today.
One witness said that the affected area was in the back half of the shop, over the clothing, perfume and electronics departments.
An employee told Doha News he understood no-one was trapped under the rubble.
Shortly before 1pm, the MoI tweeted in Arabic to confirm it had first responders at the scene and that there are “no serious injuries or deaths”.
انهيار جزئي في سقف احد المحال التجارية بشارع سلوى والدفاع المدني باشر اجراءاته بتأمين السلامة واخراج المحشورين دون اصابات خطرة أو وفيات
— وزارة الداخلية – قطر (@MOI_Qatar) August 29, 2015
Translation: A partial collapse in the roof of a supermarket on Salwa Road, and civil defense actions initiated. The store was evacuated without serious injury or death.
Staff and shoppers were being evacuated from the building. Store employees could be seen gathered at the rear of the complex, their white shirts streaked with dirt from the incident.
Police have blocked off the service road in front of the shopping strip. At 1.30pm, there were at least six ambulances at the site as well as search and rescue and Civil Defense vehicles, with more arriving.
Did you see what happened?
“if you don’t like it, go home..” ?
I have been on the rough seas for too long. Off shore drilling rigs and what not. I have seen stared death in the eyes many times, I love engineering novel models, and that love for what I do has taken me far away places from home that I no longer know where home is. When the tides are heavy and everything is shaking violently, the imaginary borders on the shores far far away suddenly seems really silly. Now that life has brought me here, I of course do not like it here a bit, but I love what I do, and my work apparently wants me here for the time being. Falling ceilings or not, I will go back to the deep dark waters in a heartbeat if my work demands it again. For now, I am stuck here, I also cannot go back home, because I am at home, home is where my family is, home is where my work is.
Fun Fact: Doha is not unpleasant, or disagreeable or even discordant. These people treat us like royalty over here. But I am not in denial, nor I am oblivious to the fact how harsh and hateful these people can be towards the foreigners who do not belong in the O&G industry.
Nice piece. Sums up the life of an expat
Surprisingly lyrical for DN. well done
I saw it. many more emergancy vehicles than you report. I counted at least ten ambulances, with twice that many police and civil defence units
To have one ceiling in a shop collapse is unfortunate. Two have two ceilings collapse in two seperate malls reeks of carelessness….
Whose the structure engineer???
The structural engineer wouldn’t have been involved in the ceiling design. An architect mayl have signed off some proprietary ceiling system – but not necessarily. This is 99% probably due to poor installation.
How come police are still on site and the Civil Defence vehicles. Could it be worse than it’s been reported?