At least five dead in Dubai tragedy

At least five people were killed and 31 were missing, feared dead, today after the gates at a Dubai shipyard broke, letting sea water flood the area.

Several thousand people were in the docks at the time, workers said.

‘‘The accident was huge and everything is submerged,’’ said Brigadier Sharafeddin Hussein, the director-general of investigations and criminal intelligence for Dubai police.

The accident happened when two panels of a dock gate ruptured as work was being carried out on them, Dubai Drydocks said in a statement.

The collapse of the gate ‘‘resulted in an uncontrolled flooding of the dock over approximately one hour. Five workers are known to have died in the incident and 31 are presently unaccounted for,’’ the statement said.

Twenty-three workers were injured, police said, but most had been discharged from hospital. The accident happened at 9 am local time (5am Irish time).

Dubai’s government-owned Rashid Hospital confirmed at least four dead bodies and 18 injured had arrived there.

Divers, police, civil defence and drydocks safety officers were searching for the missing. Guards prevented journalists from entering the compound.

Workers at Amasco, a shipping repair company at the dockyards, believed the casualty toll could rise.

The workers said surging water broke through a gate, scattering heavy machinery in all directions. Five ships in the dockyards at the time ‘‘suffered varying degrees of damage,’’ the Dubai Drydocks statement said.

Boasting a modern shipyard, the drydocks is one of the largest in the world, providing maintenance to ships passing through the region. It also builds small vessels.