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29 March 2024

19 injured in school bus crash on SZR

Published
By VM Sathish & Mohammed Al Sadafy

At least 19 people were injured when a Delhi Public School (DPS) bus collided with a minibus carrying company workers, causing traffic chaos on Shaikh Zayed Road on early Tuesday morning.

The collision happened near the fifth Interchange towards Jebel Ali direction, when the minibus stopped suddenly after one of its tyres burst.

According to the principle of DPS, all the 30 students and four teachers escaped injuries, except the driver who sustained a fracture.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, an official from DPS Dubai said the accident occurred around 7.15am and involved bus number 61, which was on the way to the school with the children. “Bus number 61 met with an accident on Sheikh Zayed Road. All 30 students and four teachers in the bus are safe and have reached the school. Parents have been calling up since morning and we are informing them about the accident and the childrens' safety. Only the bus driver sustained fracture and injuries, but he is in hospital,” said the DPS official.

However, other sources from the school claim that at least two others, the bus conductor and a teacher, also got injured.

On the minibus, several passengers were reported to be injured, of whom five were trapped in the mangled portion of the vehicle and were removed using hydraulic cutters. One of the passengers whose condition was extremely critical was airlifted to Rashid Hospital, while the remaining were transferred using ambulances.

Brigadier Anas Al Matroushi, Deputy Director of the Transports and Rescue Department of the Dubai Police, said that the Operation Room received information about the accident on Shaikh Zayed Road at 7.25am.

Apart from the five trapped passengers who sustained serious injuries, five sustained moderate injuries and nine received minor injuries.

Major Mohammed Abdulla Khalfan, Director of Bur Dubai Police Patrols said that the police opened three lanes and diverted traffic movement from the fifth interchange to alternative roads including Emirates Road, Al Khail Road and Al Safooh Road.

Traffic pile-up stretched from the scene of the accident to almost the first interchange. "It took almost an hour for me to reach office, whereas on any other day I cover the same distance in 12 minutes,” said Kanchana R, whose office is located near the Mall of The Emirates.

Kids safe as school bus
crashes on SZR