Sentence reduced for driver in fatal Dubai bus crash case
State-linked media in the UAE says a Dubai court has reduced the sentence of an Omani bus driver who crashed into a warning sign off a highway in 2019, killing 17 people on board
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Dubai court has reduced the sentence of an Omani bus driver who crashed into a warning sign off a highway in 2019, killing 17 people on board, state-linked media reported on Thursday.
The appeals court reduced his seven-year sentence followed by deportation to just one year without deportation, the United Arab Emirates’ state-linked newspaper The National reported. The driver will still have to pay a $13,612 fine and some $925,660 to the families of the victims.
The tour bus packed with foreigners was heading from Oman back to the UAE in the summer of 2019 when the driver took a wrong highway exit and veered into an overhanging steel barrier, killing 17 people, including 12 Indians. Several others were injured.
The 54-year-old driver had accepted responsibility for the crash, the National reported, saying he was momentarily blinded by the sun's glare. He later appealed the verdict, arguing that the steel barrier was wrongly placed.
Among the 31 people on the ill-fated bus were also citizens of Bangladesh, Germany and the Philippines.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.