One killed on foggy day of 147 accidents

DUBAI — A man died and a dozen others were injured in 147 accidents that occurred in Dubai because of low visibility and thick fog in the early hours of the morning, police said yesterday.

By A Staff Reporter

Published: Wed 6 Oct 2004, 9:33 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 2:38 PM

Lieutenant-Colonel (engineer) Hani Jamal Al Sawalhi, head of traffic engineering at the Dubai Traffic Police Department, urged all motorists to take all precautions especially on main roads in the early hours of the morning because of fog and unstable weather conditions these days of the year.

He said Dubai Police Operations Room reported 147 accidents yesterday included five serious crashes. One person died and a dozen others were injured. He said the fatal crash happened because of high speed and almost zero visibility.

Lt.-Col. Sawalhi said truck drivers should park their vehicle on roadsides when visibility is extremely low.

Two tankers collided near the sewerage treatment plant at Al Awir area and the dead man was identified as Miawand Hussain, a passenger in one of the two tankers. Engineer Salem Al Shaafi of Traffic Engineering said speed should be reduced at the time of fog and low visibility.

He said motorists should keep the safe distance to avoid collisions. Police said several areas of Dubai saw accidents that caused material damage. One of the accidents occurred near Al Habab roundabout in which a car carrying a family of seven members overturned as a result of speeding. Yesterday's accidents included two cases in which individuals were knocked down by cars.

Meanwhile, in Sharjah, a six-year-old local girl died after she was knocked down by a car on Humaid bin Saqr Al Qasimi Street in Sharjah. Police said yesterday the accident took place late on Monday and the accused driver was identified as a 39-year-old Arab expatriate. In another accident, a 45-year-old Arab expatriate was seriously hurt after he was hit by a car driven by an Asian youth.