Dubai: Death compensation payout in the Dubai bus crash case in which 13 workers died could take two to six months, said a Bangladeshi official in Dubai.
Four Bangladeshi and nine Indian workers died when their company bus hit a truck parked on Emirates Road in May.
Akm Mizanur Rahman, a official of the labour wing of the Bangladeshi consulate in Dubai, said it is likely the Bangladeshi victims’ families will appoint the consulate as their legal representative to receive the “blood money”.
Rahman said a Dubai Sharia (Islamic) court will judge who is responsible for the payout.
He said the process could take anywhere from two to six months, adding “it all depends on the court”.
“The court has to consider the traffic prosecution report. It will find who is responsible for paying the blood money. The responsible person, or company or insurance provider, will have to deposit the compensation in the court,” Rahman said.
“Then our side will collect on the families’ behalf if we are given power of attorney.”
He added that the consulate will not charge the families for the service, which can cost Dh2,000 to Dh5,000, according to Rahman.
“There are a range of costs involved, for things like attestation and translation of documents. The consulate will bear all the costs.”
Rahman said the consulate is in regular contact with the families, who are “curious to know what’s happening”.
Many of the victims were the sole breadwinners in their families.
Meanwhile, the bus and truck driver — both Pakistanis — remain in police custody.
Some 27 workers were travelling in the bus when the crash happened early in the morning on May 10. Survivors said they are not certain what caused the crash as they were asleep at the time.
The workers, many of them metal workers, were travelling from their accommodation in Umm Al Quwain to Jebel Ali in Dubai.
A senior official of the workers’ company said on condition of anonymity that the bodies “were repatriated as early as possible”.
He declined to comment further, saying legal proceedings are ongoing.
