Chief of Indian association dies in car accident

Sharjah: M.K. Madhavan, the president of the Indian Association Sharjah, died in a car accident along with the driver last night, police said.

The accident occurred when Madhavan's car overturned after making a U-turn near the Khalid Port in the Al Majarra area and fell into the sea. Madhavan, 58, died on the spot. His body was recovered after a three-hour operation.

Three other passengers survived the accident.

Madhavan was on his way back home from the Indian Association Sharjah office in Al Yarmook with four other Indian friends at around 9.30pm on Wednesday when tragedy struck.

The car they were travelling in took a U-turn near the Corniche in Al Bahar area, close to Port Khalid, and plunged into the sea, Sharjah Police said.

A Coast Guard patrol immediately alerted Sharjah Police, who rushed to the scene along with Anjad patrols and an ambulance crew. Officers from the nearby Al Hira police station also arrived at the accident site swiftly, blocking traffic access to the area.

Three of Madhavan's friends, who were travelling in the back seat, were pulled out from the waters safely. But the Indian Association chief and the car's driver died on the spot. Their bodies were taken to Kuwaiti Hospital, Sharjah, where a large crowd of fellow community members gathered later in the night as the news broke out.

Initial investigations revealed that the five were returning from the association when they decided to stop by the Corniche. The driver apparently failed to control the car on reaching an open area by the sea.

Colonel Abdullah Mubarak Al Dakhan, Director of Operations in Sharjah Police, told Gulf News that the bodies were recovered after a three-hour operation supervised by him, Lieutenant Colonel Khalifa Al Suwaidi and other officers. Investigations are underway to determine the causes of the accident.

Madhavan is survived by two daughters and his wife, who is a teacher in Indian High School Sharjah.