Collision Between School Buses in UAE Injures 14, Including Students and Teacher
The incident occurred on the first day back to school after Eid, resulting in multiple injuries among children aged 6 to 12.
On June 9, a collision involving two school buses occurred on Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in injuries to 14 individuals, including 13 students and one teacher.
The buses were en route from Ajman to Sharjah when the incident took place around 3 PM local time.
Emergency services, including teams from the National Ambulance, responded promptly to the emergency call received at 3:11 PM, arriving on the scene within 13 minutes.
Initial reports indicated the incident happened in Sharjah; however, this information was later corrected by Sharjah Police, clarifying that the collision did not occur in their jurisdiction.
The injured students, all of Pakistani nationality, ranged in age from 6 to 12 years.
Following the accident, three of the students were treated and later discharged from Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah, while the remainder were taken to Khalifa Hospital in Ajman.
Some students received initial medical attention at the scene.
Despite the low frequency of such incidents in the UAE, previous cases have raised concerns regarding school transportation safety.
In February of the previous year, a bus carrying students was involved in an accident that resulted in minor injuries to three students and two supervisors.
Additionally, a serious incident in August 2022 led to the tragic death of a seven-year-old student and injuries to 11 others when an unauthorized transport vehicle overturned on a Dubai highway.
In response to road safety challenges, UAE authorities have implemented strict measures to enhance the safety of school transportation.
This includes mandatory driver training for school bus operators and the installation of monitoring systems in a significant number of buses in Sharjah.
The government issues regular reminders for motorists to adhere to traffic rules and maintain safe driving practices, with penalties for serious violations reaching as much as Dh200,000.
Further details regarding the recent bus collision are currently awaited as authorities continue their investigation into the incident.