UAE | Emergencies

Three die in horrific road crash in Abu Dhabi

Two victims were on the way to work while the third was a taxi passenger

By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
Published: 18:40 July 15, 2012

Image Credit: Supplied
Among the 11 injured, one was serious and four received medium injuries. Six received minor injuries only, the official said.

Abu Dhabi: Three people died and 11 were injured in a road crash in the capital early on Sunday.

A 14-seater minibus reportedly jumped the red light and collided with a taxi at the intersection of Shaikh Saif Bin Mohammad Street and Al Saada Street in Al Mushrif area in Abu Dhabi, said Major Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Director of the Investigation Department at the Traffic Accidents Section at Abu Dhabi Police. Among the deceased, two were travelling in the minibus and other one was the taxi passenger, he said. The bus driver was speeding and he jumped the red light, causing the horrific crash, Al Suwaidi said.

After receiving an alert, ambulance and rescue vehicles rushed to the scene and transferred the dead and the injured to Shaikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, he said.

Among the 11 injured, one was serious and four received medium injuries. Six received minor injuries only, the official said.

Al Suwaidi warned motorists against speeding and jumping the red-light which will cause serious crashes, injuries and death.

Among the three deceased, two are Filipinos and one is an Indian, Gulf News has learned. Emerson Yolip, 26, a Filipino and Shafeer Narippatta, 23,an Indian were petrol station attendants in Mussaffah but the tragedy struck them while going to work in the minibus, a colleague said. The third deceased, another Filipino national was the taxi passenger but his details were not available, he said. Philippine Embassy said it was waiting for the details of the deceased from authorities.

Comments (36)

Added 17:30 July 16, 2012

just today morning i witnessed a minivan driving in excess of 100-110 kmph on dubai airport road. this road is quite busy in the morning and he was jumping lane just to bypass other cars. also minivan was full of passengers . i wanted to complain about him to his office but no number mentioned on the car. God give them some sense of responsibility.

Abbas, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 17:08 July 16, 2012

I drive daily from Sharjah to Dubai, and have notice not only mini-bus driver even 4-Wheel drivers are very rash in driving , they try to push the small cars to speed up, resulting in accidents. These drivers never care for speed limits, and I request Police to have srtict check on these drivers.

Anonymous, DUBAI, India

Added 16:56 July 16, 2012

i have travelled in a minivan for 4 years and all the drivers ive travelled with have always been very reckless in their driving, ive also been thru minor accidents during this travel because the drivers felt sleepy or even fell asleep during the travel. ive seen minivans racing with each other on the highway and even inside dubai or abu dhabi. i request the officials to take serious actions and limit the speed of the minivans. They drive as if they are actually driving a ferrari !! May Allah rest the souls of the deceased in peace.

Anonymous, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Added 16:24 July 16, 2012

There are too many reckless taxi drivers. Today I've seen one man driving a van on a curve , he is very fast. He did not even think that he is passing a small area where there are lots of children playing near the road. Check also the traffic and fast approaching cars in al wahda mall. Most of them were really dangerous to people.

Anonymous, abu dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Added 16:15 July 16, 2012

A ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.... Lots of wreckless driver in UAE... specially taxi drivers, they don't care the RADAR signal which will capture them anytime they are over speeding, instead they will say, "KALIWALI" they don't care... if they don't care their lives, they must care the lives of the people (the passengers) because life is short and precious in this world. My roomate got accident recently with these wreckless careless taxi drivers. My condolence to my Kabayan.. my co-workers in adnoc and to their families... may your soul rest in peace in the Kingdom of God..

Anonymous, Ajman, Philippines

Added 15:48 July 16, 2012

many 14 seater Vans are speeding beyond their contollable speed. the drivers think that they are driving a sports Car!!! Must impose fines who exceed the speed of 80 KM/hr for all the transportation Vans, they are the most trouble maker's in UAE road. Police in UAE must keep a special eye on them Please.

Mahe, Dubai, India

Added 15:09 July 16, 2012

Another tragic road accident in the UAE - it seems there is one every week. With the speed and careless driving I witness on the roads every day I'm not surprised. There is a serious lack of understanding regarding safe driving - people turning right from the left lane (crossing your vehicle without warning), overtaking with no indication or checking blind spots, driving far too close to the vehicle in front, driving through red lights and generally driving way over the speed limit, are just some of the issues you experience on the roads everyday in this region. The speed cameras are ignored by many people and only cover the outside lane on SZR so are not really a deterrent and it seems very little is being done to resolve the issue. I fear for my husband's and my own safety everyday on the roads and this is not without good reason - a few years back a friend was knocked down while crossing the road in AD as the driiver went through on a red light. There was no justice for the family. I feel extremely sad for the victims and their families.

Zoe Lamb, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:37 July 16, 2012

My heartfelt condolences to the victims families. Minivans are getting "out of control" each day. UAE police needs to bring a law that will limit the maximum speed of these mini vans (which i call "death on 4 wheels") to 100kmph. This will discourage these drivers from speeding and behaving as if they are on a racing circuit driving ferraris !!!

Joel D'lima, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:21 July 16, 2012

Life is too short really. Let's all be safe at all times.

Levy, Dubai Silicon Oasis, United Arab Emirates

Added 14:16 July 16, 2012

Recommends the following; 1) Mini-Buses requires to install Seat Belts. 2) All passengers MUST required to use seatbelts either in front or rear seats. 3) Drivers MUST not drive if they feel sleepy. 4) Sleepy drivers on the road must be penalized comparable to drunk drivers. May God bless the souls of those 3 persons who were lost their lives in an untimely manner.

ed Francisco, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates