Bodies of Dubai bus crash victims repatriated

Dubai: The remains of the 13 workers who died when their bus rammed into a parked truck on Emirates Road on May 10 have been repatriated to India and Bangladesh.
Nine Indian and four Bangladeshi workers died instantly in the early hours of May 10 when their bus ploughed into the rear of a stationary truck on the hard shoulder of Emirates Road near the Al Ruwwaiyah flyover.
Three of the four Bangladeshi workers hospitalised for moderate to serious injuries due to the crash have been discharged and are recovering in their labour accommodation in Umm Al Quwain, said a Bangladeshi official.
“All the patients, except Mujibar, are discharged. They are resting in the camp. All the dead bodies have been repatriated and their leave salaries, arrear salaries, and other benefits have also been paid,” Akm Mizanur Rahman, an official from the Labour Wing of the consulate of Bangladesh, toldGulf News.
“I have raised the issue to move the labour camp between Sharjah and Sonapour and the company promised they will consider this.”
Rahman said the mission’s priority right now is to secure the final death compensation for the workers, all of whom are breadwinners for their families back home.
“Death compensation is pending as it has yet to be decided by the court. The bus was fully insured so it’s a matter of waiting for the court decision. So far, everything has run smoothly.”
Rahman said the repatriation of the bodies was a bit delayed because of the difficulty in identifying them. Most of the deceased suffered head fractures and were beyond recognition.
The workers, 28 of them including the driver, were onboard their bus on their way to work in Jebel Ali when the accident happened. Their bus hit a parked truck, then skidded forward for eight metres before flipping on its left side and skidding for another five metres.
Dr Tiju Thomas, from the Indian consulate, said the bodies of the Indian workers were repatriated in batches.
“Either the relatives of the deceased or the company will file for the claims for [death compensation]. We are in the process of coordinating the whole thing,” Dr Thomas told Gulf News. “Everything else has been settled.”
The May 10 crash is the deadliest single accident this year. It is a huge addition to the long list of fatalities on UAE roads involving buses, mini-vans and trucks that have claimed at least 225 lives in 15 years.