Six dead, 19 injured in Abu Dhabi road accident
Accident occurred due to careless driving on Thursday in Al Raha
Abu Dhabi: Six people died and 19 were injured in a road accident between a bus and a lorry in Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning, said Abu Dhabi Police.
The accident happened on Al Raha Beach Road on the outskirts of the capital heading towards Dubai and was as a result of careless driving.
A video released on Abu Dhabi Police's Instagram page showed two heavy trucks in the right hand lane slowing down because a car had appeared to stop or slow in front of them, before a bus ploughed into the back of the second lorry.
Of the dead, five were women, one from Nepal and one from Sri Lanka, while the only man killed in the crash was the Pakistani bus driver. The nationalities of the other three deceased are yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, Nepal’s embassy confirmed that 16 of the 19 injured were Nepalese citizens.
Lt. Col. Mohammad Abdul Rahim Al Hosani, Head of Traffic Research Department in the Traffic Department of the External Areas of the Directorate, said, the the operations department in the Central Operations Sector in Abu Dhabi Police received a call at dawn on Thursday, indicating the occurrence of a traffic collision between a truck and a bus.
Immediately ambulances, patrol and rescue teams were sent to the site including mobile hospital, where treatment was provided for injured people, and others were quickly were transferred to different hospitals to receive the necessary treatment, he said.
Traffic was diverted from Shaikh Zayed Bridge towards Al Maqta Bridge, until the scene could be cleared, Lt. Col. Al Hosani said.
Sixteen Nepalese resident among injured
Sixteen Nepalese expats were among the injured in a traffic collision in Abu Dhabi that left six people dead on Thursday morning, a top Nepalese official has said.
“We received information about the collision and are currently trying to figure out all the details. As far we know, 16 Nepalese people have been injured,” Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Nepalese Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News.
“We believe there may have been some fatalities as well, but we haven’t been able to confirm this yet,” the Ambassador said.
Reckless behaviour
Abu Dhabi Police revealed through surveillance cameras in cooperation with the Follow-up and Control Centre of Abu Dhabi that the main cause of the accident was the reckless behaviour of the driver of the car in front of the truck who confused its driver, which led the truck stopping in order to avoid hitting it.
Major Abdullah Khamis Al Azizi, Head of Serious Accidents and Investigation Department at the Traffic Department of External Areas in the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, attributed the primary causes of the accident to excessive speed and failure of the bus driver to take into account road conditions.
Abu Dhabi Police have warned of irrational and irresponsible behaviour that leads to confusion and harm, threatening safety on the road.
Major Al Azizi called on drivers and road users to take care and caution, adhere to the prescribed speeds, not get distracted and observe road conditions.
The incident was supervised in the field by Brigadier General Mohammad Dhahi Al Humairi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate and Colonel Mohammad Al Shehhi, Director of Traffic Department for External Areas of Abu Dhabi Police.
The accident comes just a day after a new tail-gating procedure was launched by police in the capital.
Effective from January 15, new smart sensors will automatically send warning messages to drivers who fail to leave enough room between themselves and the vehicle in front. Repeat offenders will also be fined Dh400 and given four black points on their licence.
Police stipulated that the safe distance between vehicles is two seconds.