Emergency personnel have responded to the scene of a major accident that took place this afternoon near the Doha International Airport arrivals terminal. Here’s the latest:
UPDATE | April 11, 2013 | 8:22am
The Doha Marriott Hotel, located near the accident scene, has released a statement affirming that at least one of the people killed was an employee:
We can confirm that earlier today two buses carrying hotel employees were involved in an accident resulting in at least one employee death. We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the employee that was killed and all others injured in this accident.
The police are conducting a full investigation to determine the cause of the accident. We are doing what we can to assist our employees and their families through this tragedy. As this is an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further.
The Peninsula reports that the employee was Sri Lankan, and another expat from the same country was also killed in the accident. Last night, HMC staff told Doha News that at least three people died and more than a dozen were injured.
UPDATE | 8:27pm
Mohammed Al-Jufairi, one of the first people to tweet about the collision, describes the scene:
@dohanews i saw something horrific! It was too much to handle! A Nissan Patrolnwaa sandwiched between a van and a bus.The car was in flames!
— Mohammed Al-Jufairi (@Halawala)
UPDATE | 7:52pm
At least three people died and 15 were severely injured in today’s crash, emergency staff at Hamad Medical Corp. have told Doha News.
UPDATE | 5:28pm
The roads in and around the accident are once again accessible to motorists. There are no official reports yet of how many people were hurt or killed in the crash.
UPDATE | 4:52pm
According to the Ministry of Interior on Twitter, the accident has caused a number of injuries. It took place on the Ras Abu Abboud Bridge and is also spurring traffic jams as rush hour sets in.
حادث اصطدام مروري اسفل جسر راس ابو عبودمتسببا في ازدحام مروري وعدد من الاصابات والجهات المعنية في الموقع يرجى الانتباه والحذر
— وزارة الداخلية – قطر (@MOI_Qatar)
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Traffic is being diverted for vehicles approaching the Corniche from Toyota Tower signal due to what appears to be a multiple-car accident near the Doha International Airport arrivals terminal.
Passersby said the accident looked serious, with several police and emergency vehicles at the scene. Others said they saw blood and smoke.
According to Northwestern University in Qatar’s student publication:
The vehicles involved were a land cruiser, small coaster van, another four wheeler and a crane. Traffic is being diverted from the Corniche
— The Daily Q (@mydailyq)
Another tweeter said cleanup is underway for the accident, which occurred before 4pm.
@dohanews clean up in process under the arrival bridge seems to be a bad accident. Traffic diverted right towards marriot at arrival signal
— Gazanfarulla Khan (@acepilotkhan)
Is anyone there and know more?
Credit: Top photo by Rasal via @Javaadpp, second photo courtesy of Rima on Twitter
