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Driver critical after accident on bridge highway

The driver of a speeding van which collided with the fence separating the lanes on the highway connected to the Sinamale bridge remains in critical condition, police said Tuesday.

Police said the expatriate staff had been speeding along the highway before he lost control and crashed into the fence separating the lanes.

The injured driver had been rushed to the hospital in the reclaimed suburb Hulhumale before being transferred to the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in the capital Male.

A hospital official said the driver remains in critical condition after suffering multiple fractures in the incident.

Police last month had stepped up traffic control measures on the newly opened Sinamale Bridge linking the capital Male to the reclaimed suburb Hulhumale via the airport island Hulhule after a spate of accidents especially on the highway.

The bridge dubbed China-Maldives Friendship bridge before being renamed to Sinamale bridge was financed with USD126 million in grant aid and a concessionary loan from China along with USD12.6 million from the state budget.

The over water bridge stretch out to 1.39 kilometers in length and 20 meters in width.

Since the bridge was opened last month there have been reports of multiple accidents especially on the highway which links the bridge to the reclaimed suburb.