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WATCH: 47 injured in Abu Dhabi school bus accident

Abu Dhabi - Speeding, ignoring safety space, inattentive driving blamed for the mishap

As many as 47 people, mostly school children, were injured in a multiple vehicle accident on the Abu Dhabi-Mussafah road on Thursday morning.
Three buses, including two school buses, were involved in the accident on the Khaleej Al Arabi Street. One RTA bus, believed to be travelling to the airport, was hit from both ends.
Buses of Belvedere British School and Al Dhafra Private School were involved. "All the injured are admitted to the Al Mafraq hospital," the school said earlier.
Al Dhafra Private School staff said: "This is a very tough day for us."
Both the schools are based at Mohammed Bin Zayed City.
Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhahiri, director-general of the central operations room of the Abu Dhabi Police, said the reason for the accident was speeding and carelessness.
"The bus drivers tried hard to avoid collision but they couldn't as they were speeding and driving carelessly. There wasn't enough space between the vehicles to avert the crash."
Up to 25 students and some passengers, with minor injuries, were treated at the mobile hospital unit.
Some others, with serious injuries, have been shifted to the Mafraq Hospital, he added.
"Two students were seriously injured but their condition is stable, while 20 students are still in the emergency section of the hospital. They will be discharged soon."
Dhahiri said the police reacted swiftly to the accident that happened just opposite the Ibis and Novotel Abu Dhabi Gate Hotel.
Traffic patrols, rescue teams and ambulances were dispatched. Also, mobile hospital unit and paramedics rushed to the site.
"They shifted the injured students in record time in collaboration with other teams," Dhahiri said.
As a word of caution, he told all drivers to be careful, especially during the rush hours with low horizontal visibility. "All drivers have to be focused on the road to be ready for unexpected surprises."
School bus drivers need to strictly observe traffic rules and regulations to ensure students' safety as instructed by the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, he added.
According to eyewitness, the reason for the tragedy was speeding. "I was travelling to Musaffah. This was a freak accident. I believe it happened as the public bus applied sudden brake. The following school bus crashed into it. The other school bus tried to avoid these two buses but banged into a tree," an eyewitness said. "Children were immediately taken out of the bus. They were all crying and scared. A few of them were seriously injured," he said.
Following the accident, traffic was hit in the area. The bottleneck continued till afternoon.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Education Council's (Adec) Private School and Quality Assurance (PSQA) sector's senior management headed by Engineer Hamad Al Dhaheri, PSQA executive director, rushed to the hospital and comforted the parents. He ensured full care and safety of the students, while wishing them a speedy recovery.
The education council is coordinating with the Abu Dhabi Police and SEHA on the case. It is in also in touch with the parents.
According to Article 79 in Adec's private schools regulations, busses and other vehicles used to transport students need to be equipped and compatible with the technical specifications and security and safety standards.
Schools are not allowed to hire bus drivers unless they have the required driving licenses and years of experience in driving heavy or medium buses.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
Watch: The scene at accident site

(Video by Ashwani Kumar)