Four Injured Victims Remain in Hospital While Authorities Continue Identification Efforts.
DUBAI: Six Indian expatriates and one Sri Lankan national were among the seven workers killed in Sunday’s fatal minibus crash on Emirates Road in Dubai, the company employing the victims has confirmed to Gulf News.
Company sources said four of the nine injured workers remain hospitalised and are receiving medical treatment.
Meanwhile, efforts to identify the deceased are ongoing, with the process proving particularly challenging due to the severity of the crash. Sources said some of the victims sustained injuries so severe that visual identification has become difficult.
All of the victims were employees of a technical services company and were travelling back to their accommodation in Sharjah after completing work at a construction site in Dubai when the accident occurred around midday on Sunday.
According to company sources, the minibus was carrying 17 people, including the driver, when it struck a truck that had become stranded in the middle of Emirates Road close to the Dubai-Sharjah border.
Seated on the right
According to the company, the victims were seated on the right side of the minibus — the side that absorbed the full force of the impact. The severity of the collision proved fatal for those passengers, while others on board survived with injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Of the nine people injured in the crash, five have since been discharged from hospital. The remaining four continue to receive medical treatment. Three of them are Indian nationals, while the fourth is from Nepal.
Identifying the victims
The process of formally identifying all seven deceased workers remains under way, the company said. Authorities and colleagues are facing the difficult task of confirming identities, as some of the victims sustained injuries so severe that identification has become challenging.
The company said it is working closely with the relevant authorities to support the identification process and ensure that all necessary procedures are completed as quickly as possible.
The latest update follows confirmation from the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Monday evening that several Indian workers were among those killed in the crash.
As first reported by Gulf News, consular officials visited the hospital, met with the injured Indian nationals and are coordinating with local authorities to provide assistance and support to the victims and their families.
Support for families
The company said it has contacted the families of both the deceased and the injured workers and is providing all possible assistance during what it described as an exceptionally difficult period.
It added that it remains in close coordination with Dubai Police, medical authorities and the diplomatic missions of the countries involved to support the ongoing response, including medical care, identification procedures and arrangements for the affected families.
Dubai Police said preliminary investigations indicate that the truck had come to a sudden stop in the middle of Emirates Road following a technical malfunction. Authorities added that the minibus driver was unable to maintain a safe distance and subsequently collided with the vehicle from behind.
The impact caused extensive damage to both the minibus and the truck.
Dubai Police also renewed its warning to motorists about the dangers of stopping in the middle of the road because of a vehicle breakdown, fuel shortage or tyre failure. The force stressed that such actions pose a significant risk to road users and are considered a traffic violation under the Federal Traffic Law, carrying a fine of Dh1,000 and six black points on the driver’s licence.
