Kerala couple killed in Dubai building fire were preparing Iftar meal for neighbours

An Indian couple who died in a major fire at an apartment in Dubai, which killed 16 people were preparing an iftar meal for their neighbours, a media report has said.

Rijesh Kalangadan, 38, and his wife Jeshi Kandamangalath, 32, both from Kerala, were preparing Vishusadhya, a Hindu harvest festival meal, for their Muslim neighbours to end their fast on Saturday evening.

At least 16 were killed and nine others were injured in the blaze in the Al Ras area, which Dubai Civil Defence attributed to a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements.

Kalangadan was a business development manager with a travel and tourism company while Kandamangalath was a school teacher.

The couple were celebrating Vishu on Saturday. They were making Vishusadhya, a vegetarian festival feast served on a banana leaf, and had invited their Muslim neighbours, a group of bachelors from Kerala, for iftar, the Gulf News reported.