ABU DHABI: A concrete truck on Monday slammed into a bus transporting Asian workers near Al-Ain city in the United Arab Emirates, killing 22 of them and injuring 24 others, police said.

In the rush-hour accident, the truck crashed into the bus carrying 46 Asian workers and ended up on top of it, General Hussein al-Harithi, director of Abu Dhabi traffic police said, quoted by WAM state news agency.

The 22 killed died instantly, he said, adding that the wounded were taken to Ali Ain hospitals, some of them by helicopter.

Harithi said the accident could have been caused by faulty brakes and failure to leave a safe distance between vehicles.

The UAE, which has a total population of more than eight million, is host to millions of foreign workers, mostly from South Asia.—AFP