Mussafah bus crash kills 4

Initial investigations suggest the bus, transporting labourers, crashed because the driver was speeding and lost control of the vehicle.

ABU DHABI // Four men were killed and 40 were injured - two critically - in a bus accident early yesterday in Mussafah. The bus, transporting labourers, was on its way to the capital when the accident occurred beneath Shabia Bridge about 3.40am. "Investigation following the accident suggests that the bus driver lost control of the bus because he was speeding and driving with carelessness, and then swerved suddenly, despite there being no sudden curves in the road," said Lt Yousef al Bahlouli, head of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic accident investigation unit. Three of the passengers, all of Indian origin, died at the scene. The bus driver, a Pakistani, arrived at the emergency department of Al Mafraq Hospital at 4.25am and was dead on arrival. Of the 50 passengers on the bus, 25 to 38 suffered mild to moderate injuries and have been discharged from hospital. Most were transported to Al Mafraq Hospital; others were taken to Zayed Military Hospital or to clinics closer to the accident site. Another 27 patients, all Indian except for one Bangladeshi, were taken to hospital. One was admitted for spinal injuries and is in critical condition. Dr Biniam Tesfayohannes, chairman of the hospital's emergency department, said most of the 27 patients suffered minor injuries such as sprains and cuts. The bus was transporting labourers from Mussafah to Abu Dhabi, where they were to be dropped at an undisclosed construction site.