ABU DHABI // One man died and hundreds were injured in road accidents yesterday as thick early morning fog blanketed the country.
Police are warning drivers to take extra care as more dense fog is expected in the early morning and late evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Ras Al Khaimah an Arab man, 34, died instantly when his car collided with another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. Police believe that he failed to see the oncoming car because of the fog.
The collision, which occurred at about 7.30am near to the Cove Rotana hotel on the RAK to Sharjah stretch of the Dubai Road, caused the man’s car to overturn several times, according to Col Ali Saeed Elkum, director of the traffic department in RAK police.
He said the driver of the other vehicle, an Emirati, 60, suffered minor injuries, as did his passenger, another Arab, 37.
Dubai Police, meanwhile, recorded 289 traffic accidents and received 2,200 calls between 3am and midday on Tuesday as fog descended on the emirate’s roads.
On Tuesday visibility in Ras Al Khaimah was reduced to 100 metres. In Jebel Ali, visibility was 200 metres and in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region it was 300m.
Weather forecasters said that early morning and late-evening fog was expected Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It is normal for this time of year with the drop in temperatures and the increase in humidity in some areas,” said a meteorologist with the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.
Areas in the coastal parts of the country are most likely to be affected.
Police urged motorists to drive carefully in the early morning and in the evening because visibility would be lowest at these times.
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