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OFW killed in Dubai road accident


A young Filipino worker was killed in a road accident last week in Dubai, one of seven vehicular accident victims in the United Arab Emirates last week, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai said. Lileth Pangilinan of the Consulate’s Assistance to Nationals section said the victim, Roldan Pagaduan, died of severe head injuries and multiple fractures after he was hit by a speeding car about 11 p.m. on October 18. Pagaduan, a waiter of the Ras Al Khaimah, was crossing the road leading to Sharjah in Dubai, just a few meters away from his apartment, when a speeding Nissan Patrol tried to beat the red light and hit him. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival, Pangilinan said. The Emirati driver was arrested and is currently detained, but the Consulate is not aware if charges have already been filed against him. The remains of Pagaduan were shipped on October 21 to his hometown in Tarlac, Pangilinan added. In the past month, vehicular accidents have been common in the six emirates under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate — Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. (The Philippine embassy is based in the seventh emirate, Abu Dhabi). “We have recorded at least two other Filipinos who were involved in road accidents in the past month. Both of them died," said Pangilinan. According to local and international reports, reckless driving and the lack of knowledge on traffic rules have alarmed UAE authorities, who have instituted tougher driving tests and stiff penalties for violations in a bid to reduce road casualties. In Abu Dhabi alone, 454 people died in traffic accidents last year. Forty of these are children. Some 196,000 Filipino workers were deployed to the UAE last year, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Meanwhile over half a million Filipinos were recorded to be living in that Middle East country in 2008. – with Jerrie Abella, DM, VVP, GMANews.TV

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