Catar: Incêndio Mortal em Shopping Center
Em 28 de maio de 2012, um incêndio [en] no centro comercial Villaggio Mall [en], em Doha, deixou 19 mortos, sendo 13 crianças. Outras 17 pessoas ficaram feridas.
As crianças ficaram presas na enfermaria do shopping center e elas, juntamente com 4 professores, morreram intoxicadas com a fumaça. Dois bombeiros morreram [en] ao tentarem salvá-los.
As vítimas eram naturais de vários países, incluindo França, Nova Zelândia, Filipinas, África do Sul e Espanha.
O que aconteceu?
O Ministro do Interior do Catar reportou:
@MOI_QatarEn: The Minister said that the Rescue Police reached the spot within a minute of information and Civil Defence team reached after two minutes.
@MOI_QatarEn: But lack of floor plans, thick smoke and heat and malfunctioning sprinkler systems hindered rescue efforts at the Villaggio.
@MOI_QatarEn: It was alerted lately only that children were trapped inside and finally Firefighters had to go in through the ceiling.
Fumaça saindo do Villaggio Mall. Foto por @LivinginDoha.
Kirsty Rice, moradora de Doha, deu mais detalhes [en] em seu blog:
Today may well be remembered as one of Doha's darkest. For those who have announced to friends and family that Doha is a wonderfully safe place to raise our children, today will perhaps be remembered as the day that innocence was lost. As a community, we are, as my friend Erika said this evening “numb with grief”. […] Thirteen children were trapped inside the nursery, it is believed their exit, a staircase, had collapsed from the heat of a fire. Where exactly the fire began is yet to be confirmed. The nursery was in the interior of the mall, meaning you walked through a virtual rabbit warren of corridors to get there. From what I understand, when the firefighters arrived at those corridors they were considered impenetrable and too dangerous to enter, it was decided the only other way to get there, was through the ceiling. By the time the hole was cut, it was too late, they were gone. Thirteen beautiful children, four teachers and two firefighters. Smoke inhalation meant that their little bodies were carried lifeless from the building.
Neste vídeo [en], o estudante de jornalismo Usama Alony (usamaah2290) entrevistou testemunhas e filmou os esforços de resgate (ele nota que alguns espectadores podem achar as imagens fortes):
Requisitos de segurança
Testemunhas reportaram [en] que não havia alarmes nem rociadores de incêndio em operação no Villaggio Mall.
Nano expressou sua surpresa:
@fermoreno: It's unbelievable that Villagio has the best luxury shops one could ever imagine, but fire protection systems didn't work #Villagio #Qatar
Raed Al Emadi tuitou com raiva:
@Ra_ed: I am a Qatari and selfish business that does not take into account the safety of consumers does not represent me! #Qatar #villagio
O seguinte vídeo [en] por TheVanishforever mostra uma entrevista com uma funcionária de um restaurante, que diz que, nos quatro anos em que trabalhou no Villaggio, não podia se lembrar de quaisquer treinamentos contra incêndio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kRQ2bLtsTg
Onde está a mídia local?
Os habitantes de Doha estavam furiosos com o fato da mídia local ter ignorado o incêndio, não apresentando nenhuma atualização sobre o ocorrido.
O sulafricano Bilal Randeree criticou a falta de cobertura no rádio local:
@halalcomedy: Stuck in traffic cos of the #Villagio fire and forced to listen to #QBSradio talk cheating husbands kissing mistresses! #occupyqbs
Da Líbia, Hamid questionou a rede catari Al Jazeera:
@2011feb17: Oh dear, with the thousands of reporters Aljazeera have around the world they forgot to appoint one in Doha? #VillaggioFire news blackout!
O produtor de conteúdo digital em inglês da Al Jazeera, Ben Piven, como muitos outros, reconheceu a cobertura [en] do blog Doha News [en]:
@benpiven: @dohanews only source with real info on #VillaggioFire. Huge lack of local media coverage after public safety failure in massive mall blaze.
O jornal catari The Peninsula reconheceu o papel que a mídia cidadã teve em reportar o incêndio num artigo intitulado “New media trumps the traditional” [en].
Lamentando pelas vítimas como #OneCommunityDoha (“Uma Comunidade Doha”)
Há planos para um encontro [en] no Aspire Park em Doha em 29 de maio para apoiar as famílias que perderam seus entes queridos no incêndio do Villaggio. Enquanto as vítimas eram todas estrangeiras residentes no Catar, os cataris rapidamente ofereceram seu apoio.
A usuária do Twitter Qataria78 disse:
@Qataria78: Good morning, a day has passed but ur always on our minds, Mothers we feel the pain ur going through :( #villaggio ##VillaggioFire
Abdulla Ali Almannai perguntou:
@abdullaalmannai: If u know how to reach the families who lost loved ones please share//qatari people want to go to these families #حريق_فلاجيو #VillagioFire
And Fatima Al Kuwari tuitou:
@fkuwari: Every soul on this land is one of us, Qatari or non Qatari, we are all one society. RIP #VillagioFire victims
