Photo Zaidi za Moto Sea Cliff Hotel Mjini Dar es Salaam

Nimetumiwa hizi picha na msomaji P.K. wa Ohio. Asante P.K.

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From Daily News Tanzania:

Team to probe Sea Cliff fire
Dailynews ReporterDaily News; Monday,September 24, 2007

THE management of the Sea Cliff hotel which was on Saturday evening gutted by fire has assured the public that they would rebuild the hotel and resume business soon.

The Managing Director of the hotel, Mr Ketan Patel, said yesterday that currently the management was reorganizing, including calculating the loss caused by the fire, so that they can start rebuilding the hotel to continue with services.

Earlier, the hotel’s Deputy General Manager, Mrs Nadine Atallah said that the three-storey hotel with 92 rooms had 72 guests at the time of the incident but no one was hurt. Mrs Atallah said that some guests were shifted to Moven Pick hotel while the French Embassy and British High Commission assisted with others.

“We will be back. It will be bigger and better. We are yet to establish the extent of damage and loss but initial estimates are in billions of shillings,” explained Patel.

He made the comments shortly after the Vice President, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, toured the wreckage at what remains of the famed tourist hotel at Masaki Peninsula in Dar es Salaam. Kinondoni Regional Commander (RPC), Mr Jamal Rwambow, who has been at the scene since the fire broke out, and the hotel’s General Manager, Mr Kelvin Stender, could not establish cause of the fire.

They, however, said that they both suspect the fire was caused by an electric fault that started at the boiler room in the kitchen. The hotel’s, insisted that they will resume business soon because they had been fully insured. She would give further details about the insurance.

“Right now we are under the pressure and I cannot get into details about the insurance coverage but I must assure you that we are insured,” said Atallah. She also told this paper that all employees will continue to be in employment and no one would be affected by the devastation caused by the fire. Atallah said that even though the hotel was completely burnt, there were other activities to be taken care of by employees including business at the remaining buildings that did not catch fire.

The fire has completely destroyed the main part of the hotel except for a small wing on the Sea Cliff village that accommodates shops, restaurants and a gym. According to Mrs Atallah, more than 60 percent of the hotel has been completely destroyed.

Meanwhile the Vice President Dr Ali Mohamed Shein has said that the government was shocked by the incident because it has not only caused huge economic loss to the owners but also to the government. He said that the hotel used to accommodate various tourists who were visiting the country as well as international conferences.