Indian, Pakistani killed in UAE gas blast that injured 120

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion in Abu Dhabi earlier this week that injured 120 people killed an Indian and a Pakistani national, authorities in those two countries said Thursday.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said one Indian died and around 100 were injured in the blast Monday in Abu Dhabi’s Khalidiya neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Emirati capital’s beachfront corniche.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the explosion killed one Pakistani and wounded others. Pakistani diplomats also visited a police station in the capital and said Emirati authorities promised to share more on their investigation.

The United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven desert sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, faces seasonal fires brought on by the intense heat that bakes this nation each summer. Temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

In February, authorities say a similar gas cylinder explosion struck the capital at the height of concerns over attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Indians and Pakistani make up much of the foreign workforce that powers the Emirates.