At least four killed in UAE tower fire

DUBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) At least four workers were killed and 41 injured when a fire broke out today in a tower under construction in Dubai, the trading hub of the United Arab Emirates, a hospital official and witnesses said.

''Three bodies were found on the scene and another died before arriving at Rashid Hospital,'' a hospital official told Reuters.

State-run news agency WAM quoted a UAE official as saying two workers were killed and 57 were wounded in the fire which broke out in the 37-storey building.

Earlier, another official at the hospital said 15 of those injured were in serious condition.

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority -- a state body which set up a free trade zone where the building is located -- said it would support an investigation into the cause of the incident without giving further details.

Witnesses said civil defence teams fought to rescue workers trapped by the flames in the building, located in a major development area of the city where dozens of skyscrapers are being built.

A civil defence department official told Reuters rescue operations were still under way and that a statement on the incident would be issued later on Thursday.

Most construction workers in the UAE are Asians, mainly from the Indian subcontinent.

Reuters KD DB2327