LA crash kills 2 Kuwaiti students

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WASHINGTON, June 27, (Agencies): Two Kuwaiti students have been killed in a road accident in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Kuwait’s General Consulate in the United States’ second largest city said on Monday.

The victims have been identified as Abdulwahab Hamad Al-Ali and Mubarak Al-Kshout, while the identity of a third person involved is currently being investigated, a statement by the consulate noted.

Kuwait Ambassador to United States Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah asserted Monday keenness of Kuwaiti diplomatic missions in following up investigation on the road accident, which resulted in the killing of two Kuwaiti students. In a statement on behalf of the embassy in Washington, General Consulate in Los Angeles and Kuwait Health Office, Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah said they are monitoring closely development of the tragic accident.

The ambassador also affirmed that all Kuwaiti diplomatic missions in the US will work closely with US officials to complete official procedures and return the deceased’s bodies back home. Sheikh Salem also conveyed his deep condolences to the victims’ families.

The collision happened Saturday night when a Ford Mustang slammed into a Mercedes exiting a Chevron gas station at Ventura Boulevard and De Soto Street, according to Officer James Norton of the LA Police Department.

The Mustang, with the three men inside, then collided with a 2015 Chevy Malibu coming from the opposite direction and a parked Honda Accord. Police have not ruled out that speeding was the likely factor. A police source said the Mustang was racing.

One of the eyewitnesses said, “When it caught fire, I was like: ‘Oh my God! This is done. “Scary, really, really scary; it could have been us.” According to the witness the Mustang was traveling at about 85 to 90 miles per hour. The man said he was in his car just feet away when he saw the Mustang speeding through a red light before slamming into three other cars and bursting into flames. Police said the bystanders used fire extinguishers and buckets of water to hold back the flames until firefighters arrived.

“When a whole car explodes, you can’t do anything with a little fire extinguisher,” the witness added. “It sounded like a bomb. There was nothing left of the Mustang, nothing left of it,” another witness recalled. Police said they have stepped up patrols on that stretch of Ventura Boulevard and several other areas in Woodlands Hills because the street racing has been a problem recently.

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