Fujairah accident: Hundreds of UAE residents become family for Indian tourist boy, 13, at his funeral

Fujairah: Hundreds of people, most of them strangers, gathered on Sunday evening to bid farewell to a 13-year-old Indian boy who died in the recent Fujairah accident, becoming the family he could not have beside him at his final farewell.

Aatif Mohmmed Imran Mansur, from Gujarat, was visiting the UAE with his parents and elder sister when the tragedy struck.

His father, Imran Ayyub Mansoor Ayyub Ibrahim Mansur, mother, Sabina Mohmmed Imran Mansur, and 15-year-old sister, Sarmin Imran Mansur, remain in hospital and are unaware of his death. Relatives decided to go ahead with the funeral without waiting for them because of their health conditions.

Only two uncles, who travelled from India, were there to say goodbye on behalf of his family, along with a handful of people close to the family in the UAE.

Farewell among strangers

Aatif's uncles finalised the funeral arrangements on Sunday evening, and the details were shared in WhatsApp groups associated with the graveyard. Gulf News also published an online report on his funeral as soon as the details were announced.

What followed, according to a social worker who has been supporting the families, was a remarkable show of solidarity.

"Within a short span of time, hundreds of people arrived. The message was circulated through WhatsApp, and most of those who turned up were UAE nationals and Indian expats," said Hashim Thangal of Indian Social Club, who helped the family with the paperwork for the local burial.

"It was an extraordinary moment. The mosque was full of people. They were not related to him and had never even seen him. But they came together to pay their respects and perform his final rites."

The Janaza prayer was held at Al-Zahra Mosque, Al Mahatta, Fujairah. Aatif was then laid to rest after Isha prayer at Al Sharyah Graveyard in Fujairah.

Aatif's family arrived in the UAE on November 6 and was on its way to Fujairah International Airport for the flight home to India when the accident happened. The Pakistani driver of their car is also being treated in hospital.

Rare burial

It is not common for tourists who die in the UAE to be buried here. Aatif is the fourth Indian victim of the tragedy to find his final resting place in the country.

The other three Indian victims were UAE residents. Kerala-origin twins Mohamed Asmil Siddique and Misna Jubin Siddique, both 21, and their three-year-old nephew, Muhammed Faiz, were laid to rest side by side in Fujairah on Friday.

Their funerals also drew a large turnout of residents from various nationalities, with Emiratis attending in particularly large numbers.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Fujairah Foundation for Region Development (FFRD) and son of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah, also attended the funeral prayer, alongside hundreds of mourners.

Gratitude to UAE

Hashim thanked the people of the UAE and the leaders of Fujairah for standing by the families of the Indian victims at a time of unimaginable loss and grief.

Earlier, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE Dr Deepak Mittal also expressed his appreciation to the UAE leadership for the support extended to the Indian victims.

"This is a great tragedy. We appreciate the Leadership of the UAE for standing with the Indians, especially at difficult times. We all pray to almighty to give family the strength to bear such irreparable loss Indian Embassy and Consulate remain in close touch with family," he posted on X.

Fourteen people, including 10 UAE nationals and four Indians, were killed and 30 others injured in two consecutive collisions on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road in the early hours of Thursday, November 12, according to the Ministry of Interior.