Shock and disbelief as motorists recall pile-up

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Shocked motorists sat on the hard shoulder - staring in disbelief at the carnage they had just been involved in amid the flashing blue lights of ambulances transferring injured victims to hospital.

Following the accident, the highway was closed to traffic for several hours and the vehicles were diverted to take an alternative route to Emirates Road.

Heavy vehicles and trucks asked to pull over until the clog clears up.

Colonel Hamad Adeel Al Shamsi, Director of Traffic Department in Abu Dhabi Police, said: "The first crash was near Ghantoot Bridge between several buses and small vehicles. At the second location about 15 cars crashed and burned down because of flammable materials. The involvement of 12 buses in the accident also made rescue efforts very difficult, he said.

Mohammad Zain, a driver, said it took him five-and-a-half hours to reach Dubai. He regularly commutes to Dubai for work.

Taher S, a 26-year-old sales engineer, suffered injuries to his chest, neck and knee after being involved in the initial crash.

He said: "The fog was horrible. You could hardly see 10 metres in front. The initial crash happened just in front of me but it came out of nowhere because visibility was so poor.

"I had to swerve suddenly to avoid two cars but I skidded and hit the third one. The road was wet and slippery and there was no escape. When I got out of the car and looked behind me I could see hundreds of people yelling and screaming.

"I was in shock, and scared at first. But I'm trained in first aid and tried to help a bunch of labourers escape from their bus, which had crashed into another vehicle."

Another motorist, Sheeba Nair said she narrowly escaped the accident. "People were yelling and screaming for help. I stopped after I saw people in very close quarters. Luckily I wasn't speeding because the visibility was very low."

Matt, a 26-year-old ground operations manager from Germany, said: "It was a chaotic scene. Some people were also running around trying to steal from cars involved in the accident. I saw police officers chasing looters away from the scene. I blame what happened on people using their hazard lights and changing lanes without consideration for anyone else".

Deep sorrow: Drivers 'be careful'

Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Interior Minister, has expressed his deep sorrow for the tragic loss of lives and injuries following the horrific accident in thick fog and bad weather conditions.

Lt Gen Shaikh Saif called on drivers and road-users to be attentive and cautious while driving in early morning hours, especially during bad weather conditions.

The accident was caused by recklessness and speeding by the motorists.

The Interior Minister lauded the fast response of the rescue teams and ambulances which rushed to the accident sites and helped save lives, reduce death toll and reopen the road to traffic at the earliest.

Lt Gen Shaikh Saif said it was the duty of the road-users and motorists to drive cautiously for their own safety and they should not speed even if that meant they arrive late.

"Arriving late is better than causing tragedy," he added.

- WAM