Two women struck by car travelling at more than 100kph

Police say the pedestrians are in hospital after the collision outside Ansar Mall in Sharjah.

DUBAI // Jaywalking has caused yet another accident on Al Ittihad Road, prompting fresh calls for a pedestrian bridge across the 120kph motorway.

Witnesses said the accident happened yesterday at around 8pm, when two women were crossing outside Ansar Mall in Sharjah.

"A speeding car hit the two as they were crossing the road. An ambulance came to the spot to take them to the hospital. They looked like African women who were returning from shopping at the mall," said a witness who lives in the area. He said they were hit by black Mazda.

"The two women sustained serious injuries and were taken by ambulance to Al Kuwait hospital," said Col Ahmed bin Darwish the director of Sharjah Traffic Police. "They are still in the hospital and police are investigating the accident with the driver."

The witness said he believed one of the women died at the scene. A security guard at the mall confirmed there had been an accident last night, but could not confirm if anyone died. Col Bin Darwish said neither woman had died, but are both being treated for serious injuries.

Pedestrians routinely cross the motorway - climbing over a concrete barricade in the process - while visiting either Ansar Mall or Safeer Mall.

Six months ago, two women died after being hit by a car at the same spot. The women, who were Ethiopian expatriates in their twenties, both died at the scene.

In 2009 another women died in the same spot, and a pregnant woman and man were killed there the year before.

"It is high time we had a pedestrian bridge on the road," said Al Nahda resident, Shafique Rahman.

- Additional reporting by Yasin Kakande