Dubai: Seven people were killed and 35 others injured when a bus carrying employees of a security company was involved in a horrific accident in Dubai on Tuesday morning.
The bus carrying around 41 workers of Transguard Group jumped the road divider and hit a truck after a tyre burst before flipping over on the side of the road, the police said.
The accident happened at 8am on Al Yalayis Street between Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Shaikh Zayed Road.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of Traffic Department at Dubai Police, said some seriously injured workers were airlifted to Rashid Hospital.
Six workers were brought to Rashid Hospital in a critical condition, according to a senior Officer of Dubai Corporation of Ambulance Services.
Five of them with critical head injuries and multiple road trauma injuries were rushed for emergency surgeries, a surgeon at the resuscitation ward of Rashid Hospital told Gulf News.
The rest were taken to Al Zahra Hospital on Shaikh Zayed Road and New Medical Centre (NMC) Hospital at Dubai Investment Park (DIP).
A hospital official said: “Eighteen victims were brought to Al Zahra Hospital. One gentleman sadly succumbed to his injuries and couldn’t be resuscitated. We have admitted five victims with fractures and minor lacerations. The nationalities are Indians and Pakistanis. You will understand that we can’t release more details because of patient confidentiality and until relatives are informed. The remaining 12 victims have minor injuries and shock and are being released.”
A source at the NMC said of the seven workers brought to the emergency ward, one was brought dead. He was from Hyderabad. Another was admitted to the ICU, one to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) and the rest were admitted to the wards.
The injured in the ICU and HDU are reported to be in critical conditions with multiple road trauma injuries while those in the ward are reported to be stable.
All workers are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
“The bus was carrying 41 passengers, including the driver who lost control when the tyre exploded. The initial investigation showed that the bus had jumped the road divider before hitting the truck,” Brigadier Al Mazroui told Gulf News.
Police patrols and ambulances rushed to the scene and transferred the injured workers to Rashid Hospital while police officers organised traffic flow.
“Casualties in bus accidents are always high because buses carry more people [than other vehicles],” Brigadier Al Mazroui added.
Police said 22 workers were trapped inside the bus and were extricated using hydraulic cutters.
The truck hit the centre of the bus that led to the high number of casualties, an officer who was present on the spot said.
“We rescued 22 workers who were trapped inside the bus which was totally damaged because of the impact. We also rescued the truck’s driver who was trapped inside the cabin,” Brigadier Mohammad Nasser Al Razouqi, deputy director of Rescue and Transporting Department at Dubai Police, said.
RTA announces the closure of the exit to Al Yalayes Street leading to the Sheikh Zayed Road 7th interchange due to a road accident.(1/2)
— RTA (@RTA_Dubai) May 23, 2017
Motorists were also advised to take alternative routes on their commute, such as the Jebel Ali-Lehbab Road and the road of Al Maktoum Airport.
We request all road users to take alternative roads such as Jebel Ali-Lehbab and Al Maktoum Airport streets. (2/2)
— RTA (@RTA_Dubai) May 23, 2017
Before this, Dubai Police recorded 49 bus accidents this year, causing seven deaths and 100 injuries. In 2016, there were 133 bus accidents involving 24 deaths and 258 injuries.
With inputs from Mariam M. Al Serkal, Senior Web Reporter, and Sarah Skaf, intern at Gulf News
