Fourteen people have been killed and dozens injured after a truck driver lost control and hit several vehicles in Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, the interior ministry has said.

The accident involved 23 vehicles including five trucks, and happened at the entrance of the eastern emirate in "slow-moving traffic" just before midnight, the ministry added in a statement.

The impact caused "the truck to catch fire and the blaze to spread to several other vehicles, resulting in a heavy loss of life", it said.

Thirty people were injured and taken to hospital, Fujairah Police said, adding that DNA tests are being used to identify the bodies of the victims.

Some of them were Emirati nationals, the police added.

The Indian consulate in the UAE said its citizens were also among the deceased, and said it has reached out to "bereaved families" and is working with the local authorities to provide assistance and support.

Officials said the truck collided with another vehicle before overturning and striking others that had stopped due to "slow-moving traffic" on the street.

Emergency services, including the police, paramedics and civil defence teams rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire, transfer the injured to hospitals and secure the site, where specialist teams remain.

Both the interior ministry and police expressed their deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the deceased, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Half of the injured were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment, while the rest remain in medical care.

The authorities said their nationalities are Emirati, Omani, Indian, Brazilian, Pakistani, Jordanian, and Egyptian.

Source: BBC
--Agencies