US teen who died in Abu Dhabi Lamborghini blaze named

19-year-old university student died after the Lamborghini she was driving crashed and caught fire on Defence Road in Abu Dhabi.

A view of the blaze on 11th Street bridge. Courtesy Anita Calcraft

ABU DHABI // A US teenager died after the Lamborghini she was driving crashed and caught fire on Defence Road in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Aya Hadir Ghais, 19, was travelling alone at the time of the crash.

"She must have been driving too fast," said Capt Abdullah Al Tamimi, the head of customer service and public relations at Abu Dhabi Civil Defence. "Her car hit the kerb, overturned and caught fire."

Firefighters arrived at the scene within four minutes and extinguished the blaze but the driver could not be freed in time.

An investigation will be conducted by Abu Dhabi Police.

Ms Ghais was a student at the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi studying law and economics, according to Dr Fabien Chareix, its deputy vice chancellor for academic affairs. This morning, classmates at Sorbonne wrote memorial messages that will be sent to Ms Ghais' family.

"The students are sad, the professors are sad, everyone is just so sad," said Dr Chareix.

"She was one of the most serious and focused students. Some students, they keep quiet and don't make themselves known, but she was a pleasure to have in class," he said.

A US Embassy spokesman said officials would extend any assistance necessary to the family of the girl, but refused to comment further on privacy grounds.

Dr Abdulilah Zineddin, a road-safety specialist from Abu Dhabi who has a doctorate in civil engineering specialising in traffic engineering and safety, said young people should not be given use of high-powered vehicles.

"Who allowed her to drive a Lamborghini at that age, when she's inexperienced?" he asked. "There should be public awareness that speeding kills.

"There should also be targeted and strict enforcement and, from an engineering point of view, Abu Dhabi authorities could build more forgiving roads to ensure the safety of drivers in case they make a mistake."

Last month, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced all 2004-2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Coupé and Spyder models would be recalled over a potential fire risk.

The authority said the vehicles' steering-assistance hydraulic pump was prone to leaking, which presented a potential fire risk if it came into contact with an ignition source. The recall affected 1,491 vehicles.

Abu Dhabi Police were unable to confirm which model was being driven by the American teenager.