Born together, gone together: Twins killed in Fujairah crash to be buried with toddler nephew in UAE

Fujairah: They shared their birthday, their schools, their online college and all their dreams. Now, the Indian expat twins killed in a car-truck crash in Fujairah on Wednesday night will also share a final resting place in the UAE, alongside the toddler nephew they adored.

Mohamed Asmil Siddique and his twin sister, Misna Jubin Siddique, both 21, and their three-year-old nephew, Muhammed Faiz, died in the crash. The family, originally from Kerala, plans to bury all three in the UAE.

“They were born together, and now they will be buried together along with the nephew they loved to take care of,” a relative told Gulf News on Thursday night.

The trio’s funeral is scheduled to take place at a mosque in Fujairah after the Friday prayer later today.

Homecoming that ended in tragedy

Their elder brother, Ajmal Siddique, told Gulf News that Asmil and Misna had visited their hometown and returned recently.

Siddique and his wife, Arifa, along with their daughter, Farzana, and her three children had come back to the UAE just days before. Farzana, a housewife who lives mostly in Kerala but is also a UAE resident, had joined her parents on their return after Siddique’s medical treatment back home.

The twins were born and raised in Kerala and studied there until Grade 10. They then moved to Fujairah, where they completed Grades 11 and 12. They had been pursuing an online Bachelor of Computer Applications degree through distance learning, which meant they could travel whenever needed.

Ajmal fought back tears as he spoke. He said he could not say much more about his siblings and nephew.

Mother who saw it all

On Wednesday night, the family drove to Sharjah to drop off a relative, Ajmal said. They were returning to Fujairah when the car collided with a truck, around 11pm near Fujairah Court House, according to Siddique.

A relative said the twins’ mother, Arifa, witnessed the entire crash. Though injured herself, she called Ajmal, her elder son, who then raised the alarm.

The relative said Asmil, Misna and little Faiz had been thrown onto the road, while the others remained inside the car. By the time the other family members reached the spot, all of them had been taken to hospital.

Arifa, Farzana and her two other children survived, and none of them has critical injuries. They are out of danger but were undergoing treatment and further tests on Thursday to rule out complications.

Amid the grief, the family faces another painful task. The relative said that, until Thursday night, Farzana had not been told that her child and her two youngest siblings had died. Relatives were struggling to find the right way to break the news.

Bond that never broke

Mumthaz, wife of Siddique’s brother in Kerala, told Onmanorama that the family was devastated by the news. She said the twins shared an exceptionally close bond and were almost always together.

“They had similar interests and attitudes and were deeply attached to their parents." She said they also helped their father with his business even while pursuing their studies.

“It is heartbreaking that both twins lost their lives together. We are unable to come to terms with this tragedy,” Mumthaz added.

Name known across Fujairah

The twins were the youngest of four siblings, all born and raised in Kerala. They moved to the UAE a few years ago, said Ajmal, who joined the family here about two years ago.

Their father is a UAE resident of several decades and a familiar face in Fujairah. He runs Eva Cafeteria, a cafeteria-cum-restaurant established in 1978 and popular with residents, Emiratis and even members of the royal family, according to the Faces of Fujairah Instagram page, which featured Siddique last year.

The page described his story as “a tale of loyalty”. It said he carries his father’s legacy of flavour and nostalgia, and that he repaid Fujairah’s embrace with loyalty.

Asmil often visited the cafeteria and became well known to customers.

Tributes from home

Both twins had friends in the UAE and back home. 

In Kerala’s Malappuram district, the Al Jazeera Arts and Sports Club in Kunnumpuram paid tribute to Asmil on social media.

He had been active in arts and sports back home. Club members mourned the loss of a dear friend who left too soon.

They remembered him as someone who always wore a smile, spoke with affection and stood by his friends.

Community support

A relative said the mortal remains would be received on Friday. Community volunteers and social workers have been helping the family with the paperwork.

Several members of the close-knit Malayali community have rallied behind the family in this time of grief.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai said on Thursday afternoon that the mission had reached out to the bereaved families after the tragic road accident in Fujairah that claimed the lives of several people, including Indian nationals.

The mission said it was closely working with local authorities to provide all possible assistance and support.

Massive tragedy

The UAE Ministry of Interior on Thursday evening announced that 14 people were killed and 30 others injured after a truck lost control and crashed into several vehicles on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road in Fujairah, triggering a major fire shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

At the time of publication, it was not clear whether the Siddique family lost their loved ones in the horrific accident that claimed 14 lives, or in a crash that happened shortly before the chain-reaction collision and fire that involved 23 vehicles (five trucks and18 other vehicles).

Gulf News is awaiting a statement about all the deceased and the status of the injured from the authorities.