Four killed and nine injured in minibus crash in Sharjah

The vehicle swerved suddenly and crashed on the Sharjah to Khor Fakkan road

The incident happened on the way to Khor Fakkan from Sharjah. Satish Kumar / The National

Four workers were killed and nine others were injured when a minibus swerved off the road and crashed in Sharjah.

The incident happened on the Sharjah to Khor Fakkan road at 6.10am on Tuesday.

Police closed the road in both directions and diverted traffic to provide access for emergency vehicles.

Four Asian workers died in the accident, which took place at the Al Seyouh intersection.

The injured were airlifted to nearby hospitals.

Further details about the case or photographs of the incident were not released by police.

However, police reminded drivers to follow the rules of the road.

Road safety campaigners have previously called for tougher minibus regulations.

Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE, said dedicated minibus driver licensing needed to be introduced to help prevent accidents.

He also said wearing seatbelts should be made compulsory for all minibus passengers and that a limit on time at the wheel to combat driver fatigue must be introduced.

There are believed to be tens of thousands of minibuses operating in Dubai alone that regularly carry up to 15 passengers at a time.