Dubai: Seven people were killed and 13 others were injured on Tuesday morning in a crash on Emirates Road involving a minibus and a truck laden with stones, Dubai Police said.
The minibus driver was among the dead.
Passengers who were seriously injured were transferred to Rashid Hospital by helicopter, Dubai Police added. Those with moderate injuries were taken to hospital by ambulance.
The police said the accident took place at 8am when the driver of the minibus transporting senior employees of a construction company crashed into the rear of the 70-tonne truck that had stopped in an undesignated area on Emirates Road in the Abu Dhabi direction, behind Al Maktoum International Airport.
Before this fatal crash, Colonel Saif Al Mazroui, director of the Traffic Department at Dubai Police, said the truck was involved in a minor accident with a pick-up vehicle.
Both vehicles stopped in the third lane as they waited for police. This resulted in the second accident when the minibus rammed into the truck.
“The minibus was carrying 20 people, and the driver was among those who were instantly killed upon impact,” he said, blaming the truck driver for stopping in an undesignated area. The minibus driver lost control and crashed into the truck, he explained. “Lack of attention by the minibus driver was another reason behind the accident,” he said.
Hydraulic tools used
Teams from the Search and Rescue Department of Dubai Police were dispatched to the accident site.
Lt Col Ahmad Atiq Burquibah, deputy director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department, said: “Rescue teams had to use hydraulic tools and shears to free injured passengers trapped in the minibus and also extricate the bodies of those killed.”
Dubai Police described the accident as “painful” and called on all motorists to be extra cautious while on the road.
Experts from the traffic department were sent to examine the site and collect evidence. Following the accident Maj Gen Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police Chief, called on drivers to avoid being behind the wheel when they are exhausted and to park in a safe place after an accident.
“Bus drivers, in particular, must pay proper attention to the road and leave enough distance between vehicles in front in order to stop in case of an emergency.”
According to latest statistics by police released on Monday, there is an increase in the number of fatal accidents in Dubai, with 59 reported in the second quarter of this year compared with 42 in the corresponding period of 2015.
Emirates Road was listed as the second most dangerous road in Dubai witnessing fatal accidents. There were nine accidents involving deaths on Emirates Road in the second quarter of 2016 compared to none last year.
