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Runaway car mows down six workers

Runaway car mows down six workers

July 12, 2013 | 01:47 AM

Six construction workers, at least five of them Asians, were killed in Lusail when a four-wheel drive vehicle ran over them when they were waiting for their bus on the roadside yesterday.While an official at Daayen police station confirmed the deaths of six workers, inquiries made at the Hamad Hospital revealed that five bodies were brought to its mortuary at around 2.30pm. According to a source, four of the deceased were Nepalese nationals and the fifth was an Indian. The identity of the sixth victim was not known. It was also found that four other workers were  injured in the tragic incident.A source in the community said the victims were young men in the 25-35 years age group. “It is likely that the driver lost control of the vehicle or he was distracted at the time of the accident. He could also have fallen asleep, leading to the mowing down of the workers,” a source familiar with such incidents commented.The accident took place when the workers were waiting for the bus that would take them back  to their accommodation after the day’s work. There was no confirmation as to who was driving the ill-fated vehicle.In another accident, a sports-utility vehicle overturned near the Sports Roundabout at about 4.30pm, creating a heavy traffic jam on all roads leading to the roundabout. A posse of traffic police vehicles arrived on the scene soon after the accident and policemen helped remove the vehicle from the scene and divert the traffic.Meanwhile, the  Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged motorists to be very careful while driving during the holy month of Ramadan. In  a set of guidelines issued  yesterday, MoI has advised motorists to start well before Iftar time and not to rush to the place where they want to break their fast as the period before Iftar is considered as the most vulnerable time for traffic accidents during  Ramadan.The Lusail accident is said to be one of the worst  in terms of casualties in recent years. The last time a road accident claimed these many lives was in November 2006,  when six people were killed in a  pile-up involving a trailer, a bus carrying workers and a couple of cars, in Abu Nakhla.In 2012 as many as 204  died in road traffic accidents and 605 sustained serious injuries.

July 12, 2013 | 01:47 AM