UAE | Crime
Police investigate horror crash
Police have started investigations into the cause of Tuesday's horrific pile-up in Ghantoot in which three people were killed and more than 300 were injured.
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 19:45 March 12, 2008
Abu Dhabi: Police have started investigations into the cause of Tuesday's horrific pile-up in Ghantoot in which three people were killed and more than 300 were injured.
Colonel Hamad Adil Al Shamsi,Director of the Traffic and Patrol section at the Abu Dhabi police,yesterday told Gulf News: "Police investigations are on to establish the cause of the accident and the first accident in the series that took place. The main cause of the accident was fog and non maintenance of safe distance between the vehicles'',Al Shamsi said.''
Preliminary investigations revealed the crash occurred in Ajban,followed by Ghantoot and then just before the Ghantoot bridge,which was the worst pile-up.
Police yesterday confirmed that 30 cars were gutted in the pile-up that involved 250 vehicles and not 60 as they had earlier said in the three major pile ups on the Abu Dhabi Dubai highway.
Most of the injured have been admitted to the Al Rahba hospital and Al Mafraq hospital,while few have been taken to the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City. Six people continue to be in a critical condition and 33 have been discharged.
A senior official,who requested anonymity,said that the control room could not identify which of the accidents happened first. "The first call was received at the control room at 6.39 am. But those who attended the call could not make out the exact location except that it is on the highway.''
Because of the fog callers could not point out the exact location,he added. He was one among the first to reach the accident spot to help the victims.
"From the Abu Dhabi ambulance section five ambulances and a mobile clinic bus reached the spot within minutes. The pile ups took place almost simultaneously.''
"Our team first attended to some construction workers who were in a bus involved in the accident. In the beginning we performed triage,the process of sorting patients according to severity of the injury. Then the injured were taken to Al Rahba hospital,which was the closest.''
After a while the team received intimation that the hospital was full and that they could not take more patients,he said. "So we started sending patients to Al Mafraq hospital''.
"At the end of the day,our people did the best they can.'' There were 12 buses involved in the accident,which pushed up the number of injured,he added.
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Saving as many lives as possible
"The scene was chaotic and the worst I have ever seen'',said Lieutenant Dr. Mohammed Maalej,a doctor working with the rescue team of the police,who rushed to the scene with his team to attend to the accident victims.
Narrating the horrific accident,Doctor Maalej said,"I attended to one person who died on the spot. He died of severe trauma. We attended to as much people as possible as fast as possible...because we are dealing with the lives of people'',he said.
Speaking to Gulf News,at the end of the task of helping as many victims as possible,the doctor said that he was tired but happy that he did the best he can.
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