136 road accidents in Dubai on a foggy day

Police have urged motorists to exercise caution when driving inbad weather conditions. - File photo used for illustrative purpose

 A massive pile-up involving around 40 vehicles brought traffic to a standstill on Shaikh Zayed Road (SZR) early Sunday morning, according to the Dubai Police.The accidents took place on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai border due to thick fog.
The Dubai Police partially closed the E11 highway to clear the road."There were several different pile-ups of cars and may be around 40 cars which touched each other," one witness told Khaleej Times.
"A multi-vehicle traffic accident on SZR before and after Seih Shuaib bridge due to heavy fog, take care," read a tweet from the police service. The accident was not the only one reported on Sunday. As many as 136 accidents took place from 6am to 9am in Dubai. The accidents ranged from mi-nor to serious, said the police. The police control room also received 810 distress calls from motorists in three hours.Following the accident, Dubai Police urged drivers to "take caution on highways" in heavy fog that descended on Dubai in the early morning hours.
No injuries were reported, and traffic was soon cleared. However, word of the massive accident quickly spread on social media.
"I feel extra bad for anyone who had an accident on Shaikh Zayed Road - looks painful," tweeted one Dubai resident who witnessed the incident.
"Most cars are damaged," reported another witness. Some Twitter users urged their fellow motorists to not complicate the situation by gawking at the scene of the accident.
"There's no need to slow down at an accident site in the hope of catching a glimpse of the injured," wrote one local woman.
On Emirates Road, before the Al Kawaneh exit, another accident caused severe traffic delays.
Sunday's accidents came on Dubai's car-free day, in which employees of 1,000 companies ditched their cars to go to work.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com