Dubai: The Filipino expatriate who was among the 17 passengers who died in the horrific bus crash in Rashidiya during the Eid holidays left behind two children, an official said on Monday.
The remains of Marie January Ventura Gallardo, 37, was identified by her younger brother early morning on Monday after arriving in Dubai at midnight. Gallardo was on the tourist bus from Muscat, Oman, that crashed onto a height barrier in Dubai on Thursday, June 6, killing 17 of the 31 people on board.
The victim was a resident of Oman working as a physical therapist in Jalaan Bani Bu Hassan in South Sharqiyah in Oman for one year. She was travelling to Dubai for the remainder of the Eid holidays to be with her sister-in-law when the accident happened.
Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes said the victim’s identity was uncertain until Sunday night. Gallardo was one of the unidentified passengers who died on the spot in one of the worst tragedies in the UAE.
“Finally, the next of kin has officially identified the remains of his relative here at the Dubai Police headquarters morgue. The family wishes for their privacy to be respected and has declined to give further details.
"The Philippine government will extend all necessary assistance to the family, particularly in terms of the documentation and the eventual shipment of remains of the deceased back home to the Philippines,” Cortes said on Monday.
Cortes said the victim’s family in the Philippines has been notified and the remains will be repatriated as soon as all formalities have been completed.
The consulate is also working with the Philippine Embassy in Oman to determine if Gallardo is registered with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) that would entitle her family to receive death benefits up to 200,000 pesos (Dh14,100) and burial assistance of 20,000 pesos.
