Fourteen dead after 23-vehicle crash and fire in Fujairah, UAE

Fourteen people have been killed and 30 others injured after a truck lost control and triggered a 23-vehicle crash and fire in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to the interior ministry. The collision happened at the entrance to the eastern emirate just before midnight, in slow-moving traffic, and involved five trucks. Officials said the truck caught fire after the impact, and the blaze spread to several other vehicles.

The interior ministry said the truck first collided with another vehicle before overturning and striking others that had stopped in traffic. Fujairah Police said the injured were taken to hospital, while DNA tests are being used to identify the bodies of those who died. The police said some of the victims were Emirati nationals, and the authorities later said the injured and dead included people of several nationalities.

Emergency services, including police, paramedics and civil defence teams, were sent to the scene to extinguish the fire, move the injured to hospitals and secure the area. Officials said specialist teams remain at the site. Fujairah Police said half of those injured have already been discharged after treatment, while the rest remain under medical care.

The Indian consulate in the UAE said its citizens were among the dead and that it had contacted bereaved families and was working with local authorities to provide assistance. The crash is one of the deadliest road incidents reported in the emirate in recent years and has drawn attention because of the number of vehicles involved and the spread of the fire. Road traffic accidents involving heavy vehicles can have severe consequences when they occur in congested conditions, particularly when a fire follows the initial impact.

The presence of multiple nationalities among the victims also means the incident has a consular dimension as well as a domestic emergency response. The authorities have not said what caused the truck driver to lose control, and it is not clear whether mechanical failure, road conditions or another factor played a role. They have also not released the names of the dead, pending identification through DNA testing.

The focus now is on confirming the identities of the victims, treating those still in hospital and determining the sequence of events that led to the pileup. Officials have expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. The investigation is continuing, and further details are expected as forensic identification and crash analysis progress.

For now, the confirmed toll stands at 14 dead and 30 injured, with emergency teams still working at the scene.

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