Four Asian workers were killed and 21 others injured when the bus they were travelling in flipped and rolled several times after a four-wheel drive vehicle collided with it as its driver was trying to avoid a cat here on Tuesday.

The accident took place in Al Rams area of Ras Al Khaimah at 5am. A 26-year-old Emirati national, identified as Mohammed Saif, who was recently appointed a government employee in Dubai, was speeding when he lost control of his 4WD while trying to avoid a cat that ran across the road. The vehicle collided with the bus coming from the opposite direction, causing the death of four workers who were on their way to work at a construction site. There were 25 workers on the bus.

A top officer of the RAK Police said that the operation room received the call at 5am and patrols, traffic police, ambulances and rescue units rushed to the scene. The bodies of the deceased were transferred to the morgue and the injured taken to Khalifa Hospital.

The accident caused a huge traffic jam with the tailback stretching to 15 kilometres on the road in the northern area of Ras Al Khaimah. The traffic police diverted vehicles till the accident scene was cleared.

The officer said the accident was caused by speeding and failing to abide by the speed limit on the road.