14 killed in 23-vehicle crash in UAE’s Fujairah

Fourteen people have been killed and 30 injured after a truck hit vehicles in slow-moving traffic in Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, the interior ministry says.

The crash involved 23 vehicles, including five trucks, and happened near midnight at the entrance to the eastern emirate. The truck collided with another vehicle before overturning and striking others that had stopped in traffic, officials said.

The impact set the truck on fire, and flames spread to several other vehicles, the ministry said. Fujairah Police said the injured were taken to hospital; half had since been discharged, while the others remained in medical care.

Authorities are using DNA tests to identify the dead. Police said some victims were Emirati nationals. India’s consulate said Indian citizens were also among those killed and that it was assisting bereaved families with local authorities.

The injured include Emirati, Omani, Indian, Brazilian, Pakistani, Jordanian and Egyptian nationals, according to the authorities. Emergency teams responded to the fire and secured the site.