With translation from Heba Fahmy
An expat who was killed in an accident on the Corniche yesterday afternoon after a shipping container fell from a truck onto his vehicle has been identified as a British citizen, the UK embassy in Doha has confirmed.
Speaking to Doha News, an embassy representative declined to provide more details, as the deceased’s next of kin has yet to be identified.
However, according to Al Raya, the man was in his 40s.
What happened
Sometime before 4pm, he had been driving down the Corniche toward the Ras Abu Abboud tunnel/Sharq interchange when a truck leaving Doha’s busy port turned onto the street.
A witness told Doha News that the truck’s shipping container apparently shifted and fell onto the deceased’s vehicle.
Photos taken by residents stuck in traffic appear to show a crane being brought onto the scene to lift the container, which the Gulf Times reports was carrying scaffolding materials.
تجنبوا شارع الكورنيش حاليا. غادرت مكتبي ٣.٢٠ واكتشفت الان هذا عند المتحف الاسلامي. @Hassan_alsai@ahalqatar pic.twitter.com/JZmkfXSlhj
— حسن عبدالله المحمدي (@almohamedi1971) May 24, 2015
Trucks must use the Corniche to access the Doha Port, which is located near the Museum of Islamic Art. It’s the country’s busiest harbor and handles more than 100 vessels monthly, according to government statistics.
A new commercial port – renamed Hamad Port earlier this year – is under construction in Umm Al-Houl near Mesaieed and is due to open in phases, starting with a soft launch later this year.
This is the second fatal accident this month that’s raised questions about how closely safety standards are adhered to in Qatar.
A construction crane collapsed on Old Airport Road last week, killing at least one person and injuring three others.
A subcontractor had been in the middle of installing the device when it toppled over, according to the crane’s owner.
The company and police were investigating the accident, a manager told Doha News at the time.
Thoughts?
