22 Killed in Collision: UAE Truck Carrying Gravel Hits a Bus, Leaving 22 Dead

In the United Arab Emirates a truck carrying gravel collided with a bus killing at least 22 people.

Reuters reported that the bus was carrying 46 Asian migrant workers in the town of al-Ain when the truck driver lost control and landed on top of the bus, trapping the passengers inside.

24 people have been injured and at least five of them critically. Gulf News daily reported that most of the people who were injured and killed during the incident were from Bangladesh.

"The per capita death toll on UAE roads is among the highest in the world, according to World Health Organization data. The UAE is a federation made up of seven emirates that include trade and tourism hub Dubai and oil-rich Abu Dhabi," reported Reuters.

Xinhua news agency reported that the 22 people who lost their lives in the crash are believed to be cleaning workers and that some of them are from not only Bangladesh but Pakistan as well.

Police in the UAE told the Associated Press that the bus' breaks were faulty, causing the crash. Al Ain is 90 miles east of Abu Dhabi and the workers on the bus were most likely being transported by bus from labor camps to job sites.

Brig. Gen Hussein Ahmed al-Harethi who is head of Abu Dhabi's police traffic division said to the news agency WAM, that the driver lost control of the truck ater the brakes failed.

Thenational.ae reported back in 2010 that every five minutes a car accident occurred in Abu Dhabi.

.In Al Ain back in 2010, 24 percent of the UAE's car rashes occurred there.

Another study in 2011 showed a decrease in car accidents since 2009. "Car accident deaths plummeted 25.5 % in the UAE, and 19% in Abu Dhabi, by the end of 2011 compared to 2009, in a remarkable achievement which reflects the great efforts exerted by the concerned authorities, most prominently the Traffic Departments across the country," reported uaeinteract.com "The report indicated that in 2011, Abu Dhabi alone saw 2,280 car accidents that resulted in 3,547 injuries and 334 deaths, constituting 46.4% of the entire car accidents in the country. In 2011, over eight million traffic violations were reported, 49.3% of which being in Abu Dhabi alone."