Dozens hurt in three-bus crash

Dozens of people were hurt, eight of them seriously, and traffic was blocked as three buses crash on Sheikh Zayed Road.

DUBAI // Dozens of people were hurt, eight of them seriously, and traffic was blocked last evening after three buses crashed on Sheikh Zayed Road. The accident occurred around 9pm when a Dubai transport bus, a bus carrying workers and a smaller bus collided on the road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai near Ibn Battuta Mall, police said. The cause of the accident was not known. Witnesses said they saw the buses burst into flames.

A Dubai Police official confirmed that at least two buses caught fire. Smoke enveloped the road. The nature of the injuries suffered by the most seriously hurt could not be determined last night. Sixty to 70 people were moderately or lightly injured, the police source said. Many were treated on the spot. People who suffered from bruises and other minor injuries were seen being treated inside ambulances.

Motorists described fire engines and ambulances rushing to the scene of the accident. At least two fire brigades were seen trying to put out the fire, witnesses said. Rescue teams helped the injured and were seen attempting to move the burnt buses off the road. Traffic on the road leading to Dubai was at a complete standstill until the road was cleared of debris. Motorists returning from work or heading to Dubai for the weekend were stranded for hours. [e-mail]