21 injured in multiple crashes in RAK
03:45PM Mon 2 Jun, 2014
Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah Public Prosecution is investigating a multiple vehicle crash that injured 18 schoolchildren and three drivers on Sunday.
The accident happened on Al Salihiya Road between Al Khazan roundabout and Digdaga area.
It occurred as the Al Himham government school bus hit a car, veered off and collided with a truck, police said.
Brigadier Ganem Ahmad Ganem, director-general of Central Operations Command, said the school bus was on its way to drop off students to their homes.
According to police investigations, a car parked on the side of the road made a sudden entry into traffic, colliding with the school bus, which careened to a side and collided with a truck.
The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, including eight pupils who were kept under observation.
The Pakistani truck driver was in critical condition and was transferred to intensive care, while the driver of the school bus and the car received minor injuries and were discharged from hospital.
Police said the girls – all Emiratis except one of Palestinian nationality – are 14 to 17 years old. They suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to Saqr Hospital.
Ten of them were discharged after receiving treatment while eight were kept under observation. Their injuries include fractures to the hands and legs and impact to their head.
They underwent surgery and received stiches to their wounds.
A delegation from Ras Al Khaimah Police – headed by Col Ali Saeed Elkum, director of the police traffic department – visited the pupils on Monday afternoon to follow up on their condition.
Also, Dr Abdullah Al Nuaimi, director of the Ras Al Khaimah Medical Zone, attended the crash site along with Somiyah Hareb, director of Ras Al Khaimah Education Zone, to follow up on the incident and check on the pupils.
Al Nuaimi told Gulf News the medical zone summoned all doctors, consultants and members of the nursing and medical staff in Saqr Hospital to ensure the pupils’ treatment and safety.
This is the third major bus-related accident in the UAE in less than a month.
On May 10, a company transport bus hit a truck parked on the hard shoulder on Dubai’s Emirates road, killing 13 workers. The bus and truck drivers were detained by police.
On May 18, an Asian man was run over by a school bus when he was parked on the hard shoulder of Dubai’s Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road to change his car’s tyre. The crash injured 15 of the pupils on the bus, in addition to a woman who was in the car.
Gulf News
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