Oman-Dubai Bus Crashes, Killing 17 in UAE, Police Say

A general view of Burj Khalifa on February 6, 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tom Dulat/Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—A bus from Oman smashed into a warning sign coming off a major highway in Dubai, killing 17 people, including at least 12 Indians, authorities said on Friday, June 7.

“With great sadness, we inform that Indian fatalities in Dubai bus accident have gone up to 12,” Vipul, Indian Consular General in Dubai, tweeted.

The number of Indians killed in the crash Thursday night in the United Arab Emirates could increase further, Indian consular officials said.

“Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased,” The Economic Times reported.

“Deeply grieved by the unfortunate bus accident in Dubai that has claimed 12 Indian lives. My sincere condolences to the families,” he tweeted.

The bus drove straight into a low-clearance sign in Dubai’s Rashidiya neighborhood around 6 p.m., smashing through the driver’s side of the bus.

The sign hangs over a car-only off-ramp of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, a major highway in Dubai.

Mwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash involving its Muscat-to-Dubai route. It said it would suspend the service for the immediate future.

“Mwasalat family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,” the company tweeted.

Dubai police said the dead included different nationalities, without elaborating. At least three others were injured in the crash.

“Sometimes a minor error or negligence during driving leads to serious consequences,” police said on Twitter, without elaborating on the cause of the crash.

NTD News staff contributed to this article.