Nineteen car pileup in Abu Dhabi leaves three injured

Heavy fog grounded planes at Abu Dhabi International Airport and resulted in two major road accidents over the course of the weekend, one of which left two people dead.

ABU DHABI // A 19 car pileup on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road on Saturday morning left three people injured after thick fog descended on the capital.

One of the vehicles involved in the collision was transporting nine camels when it flipped over, killing one and injuring two others.

The previous morning in Madinat Zayed, equally foggy conditions led to a three-vehicle crash that left two people dead and seven injured.

The incident, involving a bus, petrol tanker and pickup truck, caused a huge blaze.

Colonel Hamad Al Bloushi, head of the peripheral regions traffic department at Abu Dhabi Police, urged morotists to be extra cautious in such conditions.

The weather also forced Abu Dhabi International Airport to close at 2.30am on Saturday, before resuming operations one hour later.

Etihad Airways diverted seven inbound flights to three local airports and delayed the arrival and departure of other services. Diverted flights proceeded to the capital’s main airport after the runways reopened.

A spokesman for the airline said on Saturday night that 20 return flights had been cancelled, with a number of flights subject to changes in flight time. People booked onto cancelled flights will be seated on later flights, the airline said.

The airline also asked that anyone who could defer their travel to, from, or through Abu Dhabi, up until Tuesday, to do so. All normal cancellation and refund fees during this period will be waived, Etihad said.

Passengers are advised to contact the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on [phone] or visit the Etihad Airways website at www.etihad.com/flightstatus for more information on the status of flights in and out of Abu Dhabi Airport.

While Dubai experienced fog, conditions had cleared by Saturday morning, said the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.

The weather bureau also warned of a chance of light fog or mist on Sunday in the capital.