20 hurt as fog causes huge crash on motorway

Abu Dhabi Police said dozens of vehicles were involved in a series of collisions on the motorway between Rawdhat Al Reef bridge heading towards Shahama as the weather led to poor driving conditions.

The scene described by eyewitnesses was reminiscent of 2008 when more than 200 cars crashed in heavy fog during morning rush-hour on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway near Ghantoot, killing four, injuring 350 and leaving 20 cars blazing in the wreckage on what became known as Fog Tuesday. Photo by Thomas CromptonShow less

ABU DHABI // Twenty people were injured in a multi-vehicle pile-up on Wednesday morning after dense fog once again blanketed parts of the country.

Abu Dhabi Police said dozens of vehicles were involved in a series of collisions that happened at about 7.20am on the motorway between Rawdhat Al Reef bridge heading towards Shahama. Witnesses said that some vehicles burst into flames and many cars jackknifed into one another. They said that some of the drivers and passengers were laying injured on the road.

The scene described by eyewitnesses was reminiscent of 2008 when more than 200 cars crashed in heavy fog during morning rush-hour on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway near Ghantoot, killing four, injuring 350 and leaving 20 cars blazing in the wreckage on what became known as Fog Tuesday.

Thomas Crompton, 32, who was a passenger in a Nissan Patrol, said on Wednesday that visibility was near zero and that “for a minute all you could hear was screeching tyres and glass shattering”.

The injured were all taken to nearby hospitals and police were at the scene for about two hours as the damaged vehicles and debris were cleared from the road.

Colonel Hamad Nasser Al Balushi, director of the Roads Department of Foreign Affairs for the traffic police, said a fog emergency plan was introduced in coordination with the civil defence, ambulances and rescue vehicles.

Col Al Balushi reminded drivers to use headlights or fog lights rather than the common mistake of using hazard lights, which can confuse other drivers.

He also asked motorists to be vigilant on the roads, particularly late at night and in the early morning, to leave enough distance between vehicles and refrain from overtaking or speeding.

The accident caused major tailbacks with some motorists reporting hour-long delays.

Despite the poor visibility, operations at airports were running smoothly, said a spokesman for Dubai International Airport.

However, a number of inbound flights from the subcontinent were delayed because of weather conditions at their points of origin, the spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for Abu Dhabi Airport said: “There was no disruption to operations early this morning due to fog. Operations, flight departures and landings ran smoothly.”

Eithad Airways, however, said some flights had to be rescheduled.

“Etihad Airways undertook pre-emptive measures alongside Abu Dhabi Airports Company to ensure minimal impact on operations and our guests as a result of severe fog at Abu Dhabi International Airport, including the rescheduling of selected flights,” Etihad said.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology had earlier warned of low visibility in different parts of the country due to fog.

The weather bureau advised motorists to exercise utmost care, reduce speed and maintain safe distances between vehicles to avert accidents.

Many witnesses to road accidents across the country took to social media, with many Twitter users posting photos from across the country of landmarks blanketed by the fog.

“Strong coffee needed after journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai this morning. Thick fog, crazy driving and many crashes,” said one.

The coldest place in the country on Wednesday was Damsa, about 35km to the west of Al Ain, with temperatures as low as 5.2°C at 7am, according to the weather bureau.

The bureau said it will be partly cloudy on Friday, with fresh to moderate winds blowing dust over some areas, plus a chance of fog.