Missing National Paints employee’s body found

The decomposed remains of Khurshid Ahmed, a National Paints fire-fighting employee, were found on Monday amid barrels in a chemical tank of the factory that went up in flames on May 12.

Emirates Business can reveal that the charred remains of the “missing” employee were spotted after two months of the fire, with the company claiming that he was missing 10 days before the fire.

Ahmed’s brother, who works in Dubai, said: “I have been going there regularly to search for him, but the company foreman would say he has absconded. Khurshid has recently got married and his wife has been crying all day.”

“I am rushing to the National Paint premises to see whatever remains are found from the chemical tank,” he told Emirates Business.

“We were pleading with officials that Khurshid had been missing for the past two months but they [the officials] were not willing to admit that he was missing,” said colleagues.

A contracting company has been removing debris from the site. The body parts were found while cleaning the chemical tank from where the fire had started.

A huge fire had raged for hours at the factory and warehouse on May 12. The fire broke out in the morning and caused panic in the Sharjah industrial area. The area has huge underground tanks that store enamel, white spirit, kerosene and other inflammable materials used in paint manufacturing.

The fire was caused by a spark when enamel was being pumped into underground storage tanks. A barrel containing chemicals burst, leading the fire to spread fast. When the underground tank burst, the blaze spread to adjacent areas.

“Khurshid wanted to run away, but some people asked him to continue [fire fighting],” sources said. “Suddenly the chemical tank caught fire and we could not trace him after that,” said a colleague.

Many of the National Paint employees who spoke to Emirates Business confirmed his mysterious disappearance from the company after the fire and said he could have died in the fire caused by chemical tank explosion.

Khurshid hails from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

“His newly wed wife and other family members were very much worried about his whereabouts. The company says he was missing 10 days before the fire. An electrician and others who worked along with him at the fire site had escaped, but Khurshid, was in his late 20s, was unfortunate,” said a colleague.

His roommates and friends are tightlipped about his disappearance, a source said. “There is no reason for him to abscond or run away. While the company is getting huge insurance claims for the damages, his family lost a bread earner,” the colleagues added.
 

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