Dubai Emirates Road crash: Colleagues bid farewell as bodies of seven Indian and Sri Lankan workers flown home

Dubai: They came to build a better life. They go home as the reason for a grief that cuts across borders.

As the bodies of seven Indian and Sri Lankan expat workers killed in last Sunday's devastating Emirates Road minibus crash were embalmed one after the other late on Friday evening, colleagues, senior management of their company and social workers gathered at the embalming centre in Dubai to bid a final farewell.

For many, it was heartbreaking to bid farewell to the souls they had worked alongside, laughed with and shared long workdays beside. Some wept in silence. Others stood still, unsure of what to say.

The seven men, who had left their homes and families in search of a better life—one over a decade ago and others just a few months before—were going home. Not the way any of them had planned.

The embalming of all seven was completed late Friday, after the company received the forensic reports the same evening, a company spokesperson told Gulf News.

Despite the procedural complexity of such cases, the formalities were completed with remarkable speed. The company's spokesperson credited the swift support of Dubai's local authorities and the consulates of both India and Sri Lanka for expediting what would normally have been a far more drawn-out process.

"All parties and authorities involved helped expedite the procedures," the spokesperson said.

Medipally Sathyam, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Telangana, who was sent to Dubai by the state government to offer assistance, was also present at the embalming centre, alongside colleagues and some relatives who came to pay their last respects.

While the bodies were embalmed together, they were repatriated in phases.

Two were flown home on Friday night, four more on Saturday, and the seventh and final repatriation was scheduled for tonight (Sunday).

Separate flights carried the mortal remains and with them the grief of an entire workplace and the longing of families waiting thousands of kilometres away.

As the bodies were being flown home, those who survived the crash and still in the hospital continued to recover. One person has undergone spinal surgery. Those in intensive care are making progress, and the company expressed optimism. "We are sure they will recover soon," the spokesperson said.

The workers who were injured but discharged have been asked to rest at their accommodation.

A few were willing to return to work, but the company has urged them to hold off until every one of them is ready to do so, physically and mentally.

“We are keeping a tab on their mental health. As of now, they are all standing strong,” the spokesperson said.

Among the most heartbreaking details to emerge from survivors is the account of what the moments before the crash were like inside the ill-fated minibus.

According to those who lived through it, most of the workers were asleep when the collision occurred. Had they been awake, the company representative said, they might have been able to jump to the other side and save themselves.

As reported by Gulf News earlier, most of the victims were seated on the right side of the minibus.

According to Dubai Police, the collision occurred on Emirates Road after a truck came to a stop in the middle of the roadway following an earlier traffic accident. The minibus, travelling in the same direction, subsequently crashed into the stationary vehicle, the police confirmed.

The seven men — Markandey Chauhan, Abdul Rasheed, Mohammad Saqib, Saleem Sayyed, Abdul Rafiq and Thirupathi Gollapally from India, and Samuvel Rengasami from Sri Lanka — had chosen to report to work on a Sunday on an optional shift.

They were heading back to their accommodation in Sharjah when tragedy struck. Most had been with the company only a few months. One, Markandey Chauhan, had given it more than a decade. The youngest among them, Thirupathi Gollapally, had just turned 23 the month before.

The company spokesperson said all expenses for the repatriation process were born by the Sharjah-headquartered technical services firm.

A social worker involved in coordinating the paperwork said a senior manager of the company was hands-on throughout, tracking every procedural step, every day, from start to finish.

Amid the grief and logistics of repatriation, the families of the deceased are also being guided on how to access the financial support made available to them. Each family has been advised to designate one person to liaise directly with the company for future coordination.

As Gulf News first reported, a Dh1 million humanitarian relief package announced by Abu Dhabi-based Burjeel Holdings Chairman and CEO Dr Shamsheer Vayalil covers all affected families.

Dh100,000 has been allocated to each of the seven deceased's families, Dh180,000 will be distributed among the nine injured survivors based on medical and recovery needs, Dh70,000 has been set aside for emergency travel and accommodation costs, and Dh50,000 earmarked for the education of children from affected families.