ABU DHABI // A high-ranking Abu Dhabi police official said yesterday that his department has learnt lessons from the Fog Tuesday pileup, which killed four people and injured dozens.
Major Gen Mohammed al Awadhi Minhali, director general of police operations, said the police have worked to improve communications with health, fire and rescue, and traffic authorities to provide a co-ordinated response.
Authorities had prepared training scenarios to plan for future accidents and have created a victim care centre offering support to the injured, he said.
Four people were killed and more than 350 hurt when hundreds of cars collided on Sheikh Zayed Street in March after fog swept into the city, reducing visibility to just a few metres.
More than 200 cars were damaged as they crashed into each other. Emergency service were swamped with around 450 calls.
Speaking at the close of the inaugural World Security Forum in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Major Gen Minhali said: "It was the first time this type of accident happened in the UAE.
He said that the "lessons drawn from this incident are that we have improved co-ordination" with health services, fire and rescue departments, which come under Interior Ministry authority, and city planning authorities.
"We can use the media to spread the message. We have tried to prepare various scenarios for this kind of incident.
"We have set up a victim care office which gives assistance to people affected by this kind of incident.
"In future we will be working hard to avoid these kind of incidents."
The conference was shown video of the crash scenes and images of Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nayhan visiting the injured as they recovered in hospital.
As many as 20 cars burnt in the pileup on the main motorway between Dubai and the capital during morning rush hour on March 11. Police at the time said the crash was made worse by the fact that several buses carrying labourers were on the road. After the accident, a campaign against speeding and reckless drivers was stepped up by police and government officials.
Major Gen Minhali's remarks came on the second day of the forum, which aims to bring together some of the world's top specialists in the field of emergency planning and disaster relief.
chamilton@thenational.ae
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi