Two dead, seven injured in three-vehicle crash that causes huge blaze

ABU DHABI // Two people were killed and seven injured in a three-vehicle crash amid thick fog on Friday morning.

The incident, involving a bus, petrol tanker and pickup truck, caused a huge blaze in Madinat Zayed, in Abu Dhabi emirate’s Western Region.

Colonel Hamad Nasser Al Bloushi, head of the peripheral regions traffic department at Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said the three vehicles all collided with each other, causing a massive fire in the tanker and bus.

“Police and traffic patrols, as well as ambulance teams, were rushed to the scene immediately upon receiving notification about the accident,” he said.

“The injured were evacuated and transferred to hospitals for treatment, five of whom were released after receiving the necessary treatment.”

Colonel Al Bloushi stressed the importance of cautious driving, particularly through the night and in the early hours of the morning in bad weather.

He also called upon motorists to leave a sufficient distance between vehicles, to refrain from overtaking and to avoid other common driving errors, such as using hazard lights while driving in fog, which can lead to crashes.

The colonel said that companies using heavy vehicles to transport goods should avoid sending drivers out in foggy conditions.

If caught in fog, he suggested that motorists should stop by the roadside and wait for the weather to improve, adding that drivers should always reduce speed gradually, drive cautiously at a speed that suits the prevailing conditions and to be prepared for the unexpected.