Dubai: Friends and former colleagues in the UAE are in shock after three members of the family of a former Indian expat perished in a horrific accident in India on Friday.
Avinash Angre, who was the production manager of a paint company in Rashidiya for 30 years, his wife Chitra, 59, a former Hindi teacher in Sharjah, and their younger daughter Nikita, 26, died in a freak accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
A 16-axle truck loaded with cement bags crashed into the railing of the winding Mumbai-bound carriageway, flipped and fell on top of three cars heading towards Pune, according to Indian media reports.
The Angres, who are among the five victims of the crash, were in one of the three cars. The vehicle was crushed in the accident. They were returning to their house in Pune after visiting the elder daughter Payal in Mumbai for New Year celebrations.
Chitra and Nikita died on the spot and Avinash succumbed to his injuries at a Mumbai hospital on Saturday morning, his former colleagues told Gulf News.
V.P. Sreekumar, sales manager at National Paints, the parent company of Alva Paints where Avinash had worked, said former colleagues and friends in the UAE are shocked and saddened by the tragic end of their colleague and family.
He said the company wanted to retain him when Avinash decided to retire and go back home for good.
“He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. But God did not give him long time to spend with his family. Payal has been made an orphan in a flash of a second, with her dad, mum and only sister gone to the other world,” said Sreekumar.
Another colleague, who did not wish to be named, remembered Avinash as a very good person and efficient manager who used to manage the whole factory single-handedly with the help of a few assistants.
“We didn’t want to lose him. Now we have lost him forever. But he will remain in our hearts forever.”
A condolence meeting in memory of Avinash was held on Saturday.
Chitra, who was a teacher with Sharjah Indian School for nine years and Delhi Private School for three years, had also returned to India with her husband after their daughters settled back home.
