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Kerala man killed in Dubai showroom blast was planning to bring wife to UAE
Shijin Paul's former roommate, Nasir, told Gulf News that he was planning to bring his wife to Dubai on his first vacation back home.
A 27-year-old Indian national from Kerala, who was killed in a gas cylinder explosion at a car showroom in Dubai on Monday, was planning to bring his wife to the UAE.
According to a report published by the Gulf News, the deceased was identified as Shijin Paul, hailing from Kerala's Kollam district. The report added that Paul died after an explosion on Monday at a car showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road.
His family said Paul succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a hospital. He is survived by his parents and wife. Paul's former roommate, Nasir, told Gulf News that he was planning to bring his wife to Dubai on his first vacation back home.
According to the Dubai Media Office, one person was killed, and five others were injured in Monday's explosion.
The Gulf News report added that the Indian Consulate in Dubai confirmed Paul's death on Tuesday and said it was in touch with his family and local authorities to facilitate the repatriation of his mortal remains.
Final moments
Shijin Paul had joined the company in November and worked as the social media manager at the car showroom where the explosion took place, the report added. His colleague Abid was an eyewitness to the tragedy.
Abid told the Gulf News that he and his colleagues had first been alerted to a fire on the premises before the explosion occurred.
"Some of us, including Shijin and I, went out of our showroom after some of our colleagues alerted us about a fire. There were people from several shops nearby too, not just from our showroom. Many people came running after spotting the fire," he said.
Abid said that some people attempted to douse the flames with fire extinguishers before the cylinder exploded.
"I don't know exactly where the cylinder was located. There is a gate in one corner of the showroom, and the fire started somewhere there. There are some auto service companies next to our showroom, and the fire was near their location," he said.
"People were trying to put out the fire with fire extinguishers. The explosion took place while efforts were underway to douse the fire. Everyone ran away," he added.
Confusion followed, and Abid said that though he was standing near Paul, he realised much later that his colleague had been caught in the blast.
Safety concerns
The incident comes amid concerns over the safety of Indian workers in the Gulf, where nearly three Indians died every week in workplace accidents between 2023 and 2025, according to Indian government data.
According to data shared by India's Ministry of External Affairs, more than 800 Indian nationals died in workplace accidents abroad between 2023 and 2025, with about 55 per cent of the fatalities occurring in Gulf countries.
