Dubai: Dubai Metro was the scene of a suicide on Monday, the first death in the railways’ three years of operation.
An Indian worker committed suicide on the track early on Monday.
Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police on Wednesday said that a 36-year-old Indian worker identified as H.U.M died between 5am and 6:30am on the Metro track on Shaikh Zayed Road near the Jumeirah Lake Towers station.
“The speeding Metro struck the man while he was lying on the track,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Al Mazeina said the man, under the influence of alcohol, used the emergency fire exit to access the track and the body was not identified immediately as the man had no identity documents.
Officials said when the train hit the man, no alarm went off until his body was strewn on the tracks.
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His body was left beyond recognition and police took two days to identify him.
“Despite the fact that all the ways to those exits are closed and very well monitored, the man managed to jump and go inside.
“The police, Road and Transport Authority are working on investigating the incident,” he said.
A friend of H.U.M reported him missing a day before his death.
“The friend told police H.U.M was depressed and unhappy because he wanted to go back home but the sponsor, for no clear reasons, was not letting him go so he would put an end to his life,” Maj. Gen. Al Mazeina said.
Maj. Gen. Al Mazeina said H.U.M, had been working in Dubai since 2010 and had asked his company to cancel his residency visa and send him home.
“H.U.M complained to the Ministry of Labour to make his company cancel his visa. The company did cancel his visa but we are investigating why the company delayed sending H.U.M back home,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Al Mazeina said in the press conference on Wednesday that police are waiting for the technical report from the Road and Transport Authority regarding the heights of barriers on emergency fire exits.
Dubai Metro stations are air-conditioned with separate platform service doors apart from train doors.
The glass doors don’t open when there are no trains.
Officials have pointed out the need to beef up the security fences to prevent similar incidents.
Before sources privy to the Metro operations confirmed the incident, tweets from commuters and authorities indicated something was amiss.
Hundreds of Jebel Ali-bound rush hour commuters were left stranded following the Monday morning rush-hour train service breakdown.
With inputs from Habiba Ahmed Abd El Aziz, Staff Reporter