The rush to prepare for Eid celebrations has caused at least two major accidents in Qatar this weekend, one of them resulting in a car being cleaved into pieces, local media reports.

The accident occurred on Al Waab Thursday night, when a speeding driver escaped “certain death” after her car hit a light pole, Al Raya reports.

The driver suffered a broken leg and some bruises, but her car fared much worse, ripping into two parts. Two other cars were also involved in the accident, and the drivers escaped with minor injuries, the daily reported.

A seven-car pileup in the Industrial Area also took place on Thursday night, though no injuries were reported.

The presence of thousands of drivers on the road to buy supplies for Eid and “geometric errors” in the design of Februrary 22 Street both contributed to the traffic jam, industry experts told Al Raya.

To ensure traffic flows smoothly during the three days of Eid holidays, police and Civil Defense officials will be out en masse, patrolling streets, malls and residential neighborhoods for trouble, local media reports.

According to the Peninsula:

Civil Defense personnel are being put on an alert and they will be manning the beaches like Sealine. They will also be touring residential areas because a lot of families tend to keep air-conditioners in their homes on while they travel overseas.

“So Civil Defense personnel will be on duty round-the-clock to make sure that fires do not erupt in homes that are empty but ACs are on,” the daily quoted the ministry as saying.

Advice to residents includes driving carefully, especially in residential areas containing children and among large crowds of workers coming into the city from the Industrial Area.

In case of emergencies, call 999, which will operate in seven languages over the holidays, including Arabic, English, Hindi, Tagalog, Persian, French and Chinese.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Al Raya