Indian expat in Dubai, wife and relative killed in Kerala road accident

Dubai: A six-year-old girl survived a road accident that killed her Dubai-based Indian expat father, mother and aunt after she switched cars during a pit stop minutes before the crash in the south Indian state of Kerala.

The deceased have been identified as Shafid Ebrahim, 40, an interior designer in Dubai, his Kerala-based wife, Shahina Shafid, 32, and her cousin Jahana Sherin, 26. The fatal accident took place in the wee hours of Friday.

According to Indian media reports, the car Shafid was driving rammed into a lorry parked on the roadside in the Kohinoor area of Malappuram district.

News of the tragedy broke in the UAE through social media posts by Shafid's employer, Thomas Thiruvalla, a Dubai-based businessman and film producer.

Thomas posted: "It is with great sorrow that I share the heartbreaking news that Shafi is no longer with us. He and his wife Shahina were involved in an accident last night in Calicut. This is a huge loss for the Munawel family. Heartfelt condolences and prayers."

The interior design company where Shafid worked also shared a photograph of him with the message: "Our deepest condolences. For as long as your memory endures, you remain alive within our hearts. Munawel family."

Speaking to Gulf News on Sunday, Thomas said Shafid’s family had travelled to Kozhikode for a family function. On their way home to near Kecheri in Thrissur district, they spent a couple of hours at a beach in Kozhikode.

“Apparently, they stopped for tea just half an hour before the accident. It was during this stop that their daughter Sanfa Fatima moved to the second car, joining her maternal grandmother, uncle and cousins,” he said.

When the convoy resumed its journey, Shafid, Shahina and Jahana remained in the first car. That vehicle later struck the parked lorry amid darkness and heavy rain.

Local online media shared visuals of the mangled wreckage of the vehicle.

It was reportedly raining heavily at the time. Thomas said the heavy rain and poor visibility may have contributed to the crash.

According to Thomas, Shafid had planned his annual leave along with the Eid holidays to spend exactly one month in Kerala, arriving on May 25 with a return ticket booked for June 25.

He said he and Shafid’s colleagues were shocked when the news reached them on Friday morning. He immediately flew to Kerala, where the grieving family held back the funeral and waited for him until late evening. He attended the burial and returned to Dubai on Saturday.

Shafid had been with the company for 13 years. Thomas called him an asset and said he was far more than just an employee.

Thomas described Shafid as someone who was full of positive energy and always treated everyone around him with warmth. "It is hard to believe he is no longer here with us."