Abu Dhabi/Muscat: Police in Oman have arrested the driver of the truck that caused the accident killing 10 people on the Sohar-Buraimi road on Thursday.
Eight Emirati members of the Al Darei family from Al Ain died in the crash that claimed the life of a one-year-old baby and left eight more injured.
It has also emerged one of the victims from the Al Darei family was a police sergeant. Survivors of the accident are battling back to health with one facing possible blindness.
Authorities in Oman confirmed today that the driver of the truck, who caused the crash when power generators and electrical cables fell from the truck into the path of oncoming traffic is under arrest.
“The truck driver has been placed under arrest,” a spokesman for the Royal Oman Police, told Gulf News.
The spokesman stressed that only the driver of the truck was arrested and no other person was held — as reported by a sections of the media in Oman.
“So far only one arrest has been made,” he stressed.
The transformer fell into the path of three oncoming vehicles, including two UAE-registered SUVs.
All three vehicles, an eyewitness said, crashed into the huge electric transformer. The crash killed 10 people and eight others were injured.
He added that a probe was underway to determine the cause of the accident.
“We will reveal details as soon as the investigations are over,” he said, adding that it could take a couple of days or more.
According to the eyewitness, the driver is from the southern Indian state of Kerala.
This is the second fatal accident in less than two months in which Al Ain family members have died.
In August, Colonel Saif Abdullah Al Hajj Al Kaabi was killed along with six of his children near Mughasyl in Salalah.
On their final day of officially receiving condolences yesterday, the Al Darei family were offered condolences from Shaikh Tahnoon bin Mohammad Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region.
Lieutenant Colonel Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, gave his condolences to the family on Saturday.
Two of the four-wheel cars involved in the accident contained 19 members of the Al Darei family, who were going to Oman for holiday.
Nine from the family were killed, including a one-year-old.
The other car contained an Omani national who was also killed.
“What happened is in God’s will. We have received great support from the Al Ain community,” said Hamood Nasser Al Darei, head of the Al Darei tribe.
“One of the deceased, Saeed, was about to start a job at the Petroleum Institute while Humaid Saif was a first sergeant in the Abu Dhabi Police,” he added.
“Nadeera Saeed Al Darei, is being treated in Tawam Hospital for neck and shoulder injuries while Kamla Hamdan, wife of one of the family members, is suffering from facial injuries and damage to her cornea, which may cause her blindness,” Hamood told Gulf News.
“Meanwhile, a preliminary assessment of an eyewitness’ statement shows that an extra load or the truck-driver’s lack of attention may have been the cause,” said Brigadier Ghaith Al Zaabi, Director General for Traffic Coordination at the Ministry of Interior.
Of the deceased, some of the Al Darei family have been identified as Swailmah Al Darei, 50; Hamid Saif, 23; Saeed Nasser, 26; Mariam Saeed, 1; Naima Nasser, 22; Falah Nasser, 21; Hanoud Nasser, 14 and Hajar Nasser, 10.
