Traffic chaos in Fujairah
Traffic on the Dibba-Masafi Road came to a standstill on Saturday due to the heavy downpour which caused rocks from the nearby hills to fall on the arterial road.
FUJAIRAH – Traffic on the Dibba-Masafi Road came to a standstill on Saturday due to the heavy downpour which caused rocks from the nearby hills to fall on the arterial road. On Friday, the heavy rains in Fujairah led to over 40 accidents and the death of two.
An Emirati youth was killed on Friday when the car he was travelling in collided with another car before it flipped into a gorge on the Dibba-Masafi Highway opposite Al Abadla Valley. Two other Emiratis, who were travelling with him were injured, while the driver of the second car sustained minor injuries.
Another Emirati youth was drowned after water inundated the camp he was staying in, in the valley leading to Al Wareea dam. Fourteen others including two Emiratis were rescued after they were stranded in the flooded valley.
According to Major Saif Al Zahmi, Director of Dibba Fujairah Police, the accident took place due to the bad condition of the road and heavy rains. Five other minor accidents were reported in Masafi as a result of the rains, said Major Saeed Rashid Al Hamoodi, acting director of Masafi Police Station.
“Dibba–Masafi and Fujairah-Al Dhaid Roads saw heavy traffic, which resulted in the disruption of vehicular movement for more than seven hours, said Major Al Hamoodi. He attributed the congestion to the crowding of local tourists who flocked the area to watch the rains.
Rains caused 35 minor road accidents within the city of Fujairah, with no casualties, said First Lieutenant Ali Abdullah Al Hozaimi, Traffic Officer of the city. He blamed rains and the reckless driving by some young motorists for the accidents. Police however arrested four drivers for dangerous manoeuvering shows while it was raining, and endangering other people’s lives.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Rashid bin Shahreen, Director of Civil Defence Department in Khorfakkan said that 15 people including three Emiratis, six Britons, four Germans and two Asian were camping in the narrow valley leading to Al Wareea in Fujairah since Thursday. The Civil Defence Operations Room in Khorfakkan was informed at 6.33pm that the valley was inundated and there is a risk of people being swept away by the water, he said.
The rescue team managed to save the two Emiratis, Mohammed Saleh Abdul Karim, and Khalid Ahmed Ali, who managed to find a place on top a rock on top the valley. The body of the third Emirati, Hassan Al Hammadi, was recovered from the bottom of the dam after a search of about 25 minutes. The search for others continued for more than two hours in the dark and personnel from Dibba Fujairah Civil Defence and Private Security Forces joined the search operation,” he said, adding that 12 other people were rescued by the civil defence team.
