Dubai: Twitter users took to the popular social networking site in the aftermath of the tragedy involving an Omani family in Oman yesterday to offer condolences and call for action to be taken to improve road conditions in Salalah.
Arabic hashtags — short Twitter keywords — that translate as “I will not go to Salalah” and “We demand from the Municipality of Salalah” were accompanied by tweets protesting about the state of roads in Oman’s Salalah region.
Nine people have died in the tragedy which claimed the lives of seven members of an Emirati family. One member of the family is fighting for her life in hospital.
Badar Al Rashdi (@bnalrashdi), an Omani tweeter, expressed in a number of tweets, some of the problems on roads in Oman, which he believes include inadequate street lighting and narrow roads with no demarcated areas for emergency stops.
The “We demand from the Municipality of Salalah” hashtag came in response to the “I will not go to Salalah” tag.
Emiratis and Omanis alike contributed to both hashtags.
Some supported the “I will not go to Salalah” hashtag while others branded it absurd.
Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi (@abalnuaimi1000), an Emirati, said the “I will not go to Salalah” hashtag did not represent did not represent the general sentiment and that the accident had to be accepted as the family’s fate.
Badar Al Rashdi @bnalrashdi) however came out in support of the tag, saying Salalah lacks basic tourist services, has bad roads and is rather expensive for visitors. He added that it is like a “dead festival”.
Yousuf Al Sarmi (@yusuf_alsarmi), also from Oman, echoed Al Rashdi’s sentiment when he Tweeted: “Oman does not encourage tourism, has weak infrastructure and poor services such as transportation facilities and entertainment.”
The other hashtag “We demand from the Salalah Municipality” also had its share of supporters and opponents.
Abdullah Al Mansouri (@alwathbawi), an Emirati, tweeted: “How do we demand of another country for reforms and repairs, I do not think we have a right to do that.”
Still others offered suggestions for what could be fixed and improved.
Fahad Al Abdouli (@FahodBrand) said that Oman should build roads “in accordance with international safety standards, as that would result in a greater influx of tourists”.
Meanwhile, people took to Twitter and various social forums to post condolence messages and prayers for both the Emirati and Omani victims of the tragedy.
Fa6ami Alz3abi (@F6aami_1) tweeted: “I can’t stop thinking about the whole family that died, I really feel sorry for the rest of the family. May God have mercy on them and forgive them and may they rest in heaven.”
Another message read: “May God give the rest of their family the patience and strength to go through this.”
