Twelve Indians were among 17 people who were killed in a horrific road accident in Dubai when a bus entered a restricted lane and rammed into a low-clearance sign, police and the Indian mission said on Friday.
Nine others were seriously injured when the driver of the bus, coming from Oman’s capital Muscat to Dubai, on Thursday evening wrongly entered a road not designated for buses.
Dubai Police authorities said that there were some unidentified bodies and the number of Indians who died in the accident could rise further.
“With great sadness we inform that Indian fatalities in Dubai bus accident have gone up to 12,” Vipul, Indian Consul General in Dubai, tweeted.
He said that the Embassy officials were at the Rashidiya police station and mortuary to extend all assistance to the families of the victims.
Bus from Oman
The bus, belonging to the Omani bus transport company Mwasalat, was carrying 31 passengers and crashed into a height barrier that cut the left side of the bus and killed passengers sitting on that side, the Gulf News reported.
Dubai Police blamed the driver, who was moderately injured, for the accident, saying that “at times a small mistake or negligence can lead to adverse consequences”.
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, now in Bhutan, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. “Deeply grieved by the unfortunate bus accident in Dubai that has claimed 12 Indian lives. My sincere condolences to the families,” he tweeted.
The Consul General also released a list of the Indians killed in the accident.
Repatriation of bodies
Mr. Vipul said that officers from the consulate are taking all necessary steps to ensure repatriation formalities of all victims are completed as soon as possible.
“Once death certificates are issued, the bodies will be sent for embalming and other procedures,” he said.
An official from the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai confirmed the death of a Pakistani national. The official said the deceased had travelled to Oman to renew his UAE visa, the Khaleej Times reported.
Transport company Mwasalat issued a statement on Twitter announcing the suspension of their daily services between Muscat and Dubai and vice versa, until further notice.
“Mwasalat family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,” it tweeted.