Muscat: Oman Police have revealed that the two tragic road accidents that claimed five lives on Sunday morning was caused by a 17-year-old driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotics who had no driver’s licence.
An official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) told Gulf News that the teenager sustained serious injuries but is in a stable condition.
The official added that the boy will be tried in a juvenile court as he is under the legal age.
The first accident occurred when the teenage motorist knocked down two persons on a delivery bike and fled the scene in a state of panic. The second incident, in which three people were killed, occurred when he later returned to the scene after he was contacted by the police.
“When he arrived at the scene, he was speeding and lost control of his vehicle which ran over bystanders, killing them along with his friend in the car,” said the official.
Victims included two policemen and two Indians who were riding the delivery bike of a restaurant in Al Khoudh area of Seeb province north of the capital were present at the scene.
Article 50 of the Omani Traffic Law stipulates that anyone driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be sentenced to a one-year jail term and slapped with a fine of not more than 500 riyals.
If the accident results in the death of a person or cause disability, or lead to the victim missing his job for more than 10 days, the penalty will be between a one-year and five-year jail-term.
Moreover, article 49 states that anyone driving without a licence will be jailed for three months at least and slapped with of a fine not more than 300 riyals.
The legal age to obtain driving licence in Oman is 18.
Five people, including two Omani policemen, were killed in the horrific accident in Al Khoudh early on Sunday.
The policemen were identified as Eisa Al Amri and Yahya Al Agbari.
Two Indians Shanavas Attumpuram Sainul Abdeen, riding motorcycles and an Omani national were also killed in the accident, an official at ROP told Gulf News.
Police have not ruled out criminal intent and an investigation has been opened into the incident.
Initial investigations revealed that the motorist may have deliberately targeted the policemen and was driving under the influence of alcohol.
If true, it would be an unprecedented attack on police in the country.
In May alone, over 54 people were killed in car accidents in Oman, according to ROP figures.
The bodies of three Omanis were laid to rest on Sunday, while the bodies of the Indians will be repatriated in the coming days.
Such a case is bizarre and unprecedented in the country, according to the ROP.
