Three killed, 44 injured in Abu Dhabi traffic accident

Three people were killed and 44 others injured on Monday morning when a bus and two vehicles collided in Abu Dhabi.

The accident occurred on the Al Shawamekh Bridge heading towards Abu Dhabi, police revealed.

The command and control center received a call at 7.30 am and police patrols and ambulances rushed to the scene. The injured were transferred to Al Rahba and Mafraq hospitals.

Preliminary investigations showed that accident took place after a motorist was distracted by his mobile phone, Brig Salem Abdullah Bin Barak Al Dhaheri, director of the Traffic Department said.

Sudden deviation, speeding and not leaving sufficient safety distance between vehicles were also to blame for the incident, he said.

Al-Dhaheri urged motorists and road users to abide by the traffic law and speed limits, leave sufficient safe distance between vehicles, exercise extreme caution while changing lanes.

He also urged motorists not stand in the centre of the road or on the hard shoulder when accidents occur to avoid endangering the lives of road users.