Abu Dhabi At least one person was killed and 32 others were injured in accidents caused by the heavy downpour yesterday morning in Abu Dhabi, police have revealed.
At least 15 of the 32 injured people are women.
Police said the accidents were mainly the result of a failure by motorists to reduce their vehicle speeds and to keep a safe distance from other vehicles.
Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammad Ahmad Al Mazroui, Head of the Highways section of Abu Dhabi Police, said the injuries ranged from being minor to medium-level injuries.
While four major accidents were recorded, several others were reported with minor or no injuries at all.
"An accident involving a saloon car in [the] Ajban area, after the bridge on the way leading towards Abu Dhabi, led to the death of an Arab national," Lt Col Al Mazroui said.
The cause of the accident was hydroplaning — the result of a failure to reduce the speed of the vehicle, he said.
Two buses and a truck also collided in the same area after they failed to maintain a safe distance between them. Two passengers sustained moderate injuries while 12 others suffered minor injuries, he said.
Six cars were involved in another accident on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, close to the Zahra Restaurant. Again, the accident was a result of the drivers of the cars failing to leave enough space between their cars. Three Pakistani nationals and an Arab woman sustained moderate injuries.
In a separate accident on the highway, 14 Indian women travelling in a mini bus sustained minor injuries.
Admitted
Twenty workers were admitted to Al Mafraq Hospital at 6am yesterday after a bus collided on the slippery roads of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning.
Dr Biniam Tesfayohannes, Chairman of Al Mafraq's emergency department, said all 20 victims were ferried by ambulances to the hospital.
"None of the 20 patients is in critical condition, all cases are minor," he confirmed, before adding that the number of walk-in patients had not surpassed that of any other normal day.
