Two die as speeding car crashes into speed-camera pole

ABU DHABI // Two young men died and a third was injured when a speeding car crashed into a speed camera pole on Khaleej al Arabi Street in al Mirdif district.

The 19-year-old driver and the 22-year-old passenger next to him died before emergency workers arrived at the scene.

The driver's 18-year-old brother, who was in the back seat, suffered "moderate" injuries, according to police officials, and was being treated at Sheikh Zayed Military Hospital.

Police did not immediately release the names of the victims, both Emirati, or the car's speed at the time of the crash on Monday night.

"The accident was due to speeding," said Ahmed al Zayoudi, the officer in charge of accidents for the Abu Dhabi police department. "This led to the loss of control of the car and it colliding with a radar camera pole."

Initial investigation has found that the car's engine was illegally modified to allow the vehicle to reach higher speeds than it was designed to achieve.

Mr al Zayoudi warned motorists not to modify their engines in that way, as such changes could lead to "technical errors" that may result in serious accidents.

osalem@thenational.ae