Five people have been injured in two accidents on the Hulhumalé highway.
According to reports, a 50-year old man, a 20-year old man, a 17-year old boy and a 43-year old woman were injured in a motorbike collision Monday night. They were driving on the highway that leads to Malé via the Sinamalé bridge.
The four people sustained injuries to the head, an official from the Hulhumalé hospital said. The men were sent to the ADK hospital in Malé for CT scans whilst the other two were undergoing further treatment.
“All the injured are okay. The injured woman has been treated and released,” the official said.
Early Tuesday morning, a migrant worker was injured when the van he was driving skidded out of control and hit the outer fence of the bridge.
The 35-year old man suffered head injuries and multiple bone fractures. He has been sent to ADK for a CT scan after treatment at the Hulhumalé hospital.
His condition is reported to be critical.
The expatriate was driving a van from the Housing Development Corporation, the state-owned company in charge of the urban development of the capital’s suburb Hulhumalé.
The accident occurred around 6am, police confirmed. An investigation is underway.
There has been multiple accidents on the US$200 million bridge since its opening in early September.
Financed with grant aid and loans from China and built by a Chinese company, the country’s first overwater bridge connects the capital via the airport island Hulhulé to Hulhumalé, a reclaimed island under development as a new urban centre.
The Maldives Transport Authority advised the use of helmets when driving two-wheeled vehicles across the 1.39km bridge. But helmets are not mandatory by law.
The speed limit is between 25 to 50 kilometres per hour.
