4 Killed, 300 Wounded After 200-Car Pileup On Abu Dhabi Highway

Almost 200 vehicles crashed into each other Tuesday on a highway in the United Arab Emirates linking two main cities Dubai and Abu Dhabi, killing at least four people and wounding 300.

The pileup occurred during the morning rush hour, when people were heading to work. When the cars collided, 92 of them caught fire, creating an inferno. Reports say that 12 buses transporting workers were also involved in the Tuesday accident, which is blamed on the thick fog and speeding, Aljazeera reports.

“It was a disaster scene, everyone was speeding and after the first crash happened, people just started hitting each other,” Khamis I. Mohammad, an Abu Dhabi Police official, told the state-owned Gulf News.

An investigation is being carried out by the Abu Dhabi police. The authorities arrived at the scene of the crash, and cordoned off the area. The accident caused a 20-kilometre (12-mile) traffic jam that lasted for several hours.

“More than 300 people were injured in the accident, of which 6 were critical, while another 39 were serious, but stable,” informed Osman al-Tamimi of the Abu Dhabi police department. He added that the rest of the injured had minor injuries and had been taken to two hospitals in Abu Dhabi, Al Rahba and Al Mafraq.

Driving has become a necessity in recent years in the Emirates due to the country’s economic growth and few public transportation options.

According to government statistics published in Arabian Business magazine, more than 1,050 people were killed in road accidents in 2007. On the UAE roads, one person is injured every two hours, while one is killed every 15 hours.