Body of hero worker flown home to India

The body of a work supervisor who died in a building site accident was being flown home early this morning.

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ABU DHABI // The body of a work supervisor who died in a building site accident was being flown home early this morning.

Padmanabhan Nair, 40, from Kerala, collapsed at the bottom of an empty water tank on Muroor Road while trying to save a worker.

Mr Nair, who had worked with the Asqalan contracting company since 1997, is survived by a wife and two children, age 2 and 6, in India. Lathesh Nair, a relative in Abu Dhabi, said yesterday that the body was being repatriated on an Air India flight.

"Final rites would be performed on Saturday at his native place," he said. "We have yet to break the news of his death to his wife. She will be devastated."

The accident happened at 10.30am on December 13 after Jusim Khora entered a tank 11 metres below ground.

Mr Nair, his supervisor, called to him but when he got no response, he and two other workers, Surendran Amma Sujith and Dilroy Khan, climbed down.

Mr Nair and Mr Sujith collapsed at the bottom but Mr Khan climbed out before collapsing.

Mr Sujith, Mr Khan and Mr Khora survived. Mr Nair died of acute respiratory failure caused by a shortage of oxygen. An investigation will determine if poisonous gas was to blame.