'In the blink of an eye': How Abu Dhabi car crash that killed four Indian expat brothers and maid happened

Dubai: The Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway crash that claimed the lives of all four young brothers among five children and a domestic helper happened literally in the blink of an eye, according to the maternal uncle of the deceased children.

For the first time since the tragic crash in the wee hours of January 4 that shook the Indian expat community and several Emirati citizens and other expats in the UAE, a direct family member of the departed boys has revealed to Gulf News the devastating details of how the accident unfolded.

As reported earlier, the tragedy struck when the family was returning home from what had been a joyful trip to the Liwa Festival in Abu Dhabi.

However, speaking to Gulf News after the Azza condolence gathering organised by the family on Thursday evening, the children’s uncle revealed that the trip to Liwa was not the family’s initial plan.

On January 2, he said, his sister Rukhsana and her husband Abdul Latheef had set out on a family picnic with their five children and a domestic helper of Rukhsana’s another brother whose family was away from Dubai.

It was a camping trip to Hatta to fulfil the children's wish to enjoy one last weekend adventure before schools reopened after the winter break on January 5.

After an overnight stay in Hatta, the children suggested extending the trip to visit the Liwa Festival. The parents agreed to the spontaneous plan, unaware that the journey home would end in heartbreak on the highway.

“Abdul Latheef had handed the wheel to Rukhsana on their way home," the uncle explained, as he recounted the family's darkest hour.

"In the blink of an eye, she accidentally struck a car ahead."

What happened next unfolded in seconds. "In a sudden panic, she swerved to the right, and the SUV tumbled off the highway, rolling onto the soft sand beside the road," he said.

The uncle described the chaotic scene that emergency responders encountered. "Some of the children in the back were flung from the vehicle. Since the doors had remained shut, it appears they were ejected through the shattered windows by the force of the crash."

The crash instantly claimed the lives of three of the four sons –- Ashaz, 14, Ammaar, 12, and Ayyash, five— along with the maid, Bushra Fayaz Yahu, 49, 

The fourth son, seven-year-old Azzaam, succumbed to his injuries at the Abu Dhabi hospital on Monday evening. 

The uncle said the rest remained trapped inside the overturned SUV, pinned by the deformed frame. He said the couple were rescued by police and emergency personnel, who had to cut open the doors to free them.

Only Abdul Latheef, Rukhsana, and their only daughter, 10-year-old Izzaa, survived.

"It is a miracle that they survived. It was God's decision to take the others...Only the police will know exactly what happened, but from what I have understood, this is what happened," the uncle acknowledged. The police is yet to issue any statement.

Details about the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the initial collision remain unclear, though it is understood that car was not severely damaged.

Now, as the family grapples with their devastating loss, they face another heart-wrenching challenge: Izzaa remains unaware that her four brothers are gone.

"She has not been told yet about her brothers…We need to offer counselling and inform her gradually in the best possible way. We don't know how to break it,” the uncle said.

The little girl has been asking about her brothers and when she can return to school, questions that pierce the hearts of family members who know the truth she has yet to learn. All five children attended the same school, Arab Unity School, a British School in Dubai.

Rukhsana’s brother said she underwent two minor surgeries on Thursday. “Those were for her injured fingers on the right hand. Another surgery was held on Monday for her forearm injury. All the surgeries went well. Now, we must focus more on her mental health.”

He said the family is scheduled to meet with doctors for Rukhsana’s health update. “Once she is discharged and medically cleared to fly, they will fly to our hometown in Kerala,” he said, pointing out that it would be extremely difficult for them to return to their Dubai home where memories of their complete family still linger in every corner.

Back at her hometown, Rukhsana’s aged father has been receiving mourners after her mother and siblings living in Kerala flew into the UAE following the tragedy. The family has decided that it would be better for the couple and their daughter to stay away from Dubai and fly home for the time being.

As the family navigates their grief, the children's uncle also made an earnest appeal for understanding and space.

"Now, somehow they need to forget this," he said, though the impossibility of such a task hangs heavy in his words.

"We pray that God give them the strength to forget it and move ahead as they need to live on."

While grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support from every corner, the family has found the constant stream of hospital visitors overwhelming. "They are not getting rest and memories keep haunting them. Privacy and prayers are the best things that everybody can offer them right now,” he explained.

He also made a specific request to social media users and media outlets not to share photographs of the family that include the surviving members. "Nobody has taken our consent for that," he clarified.

While accompanying a heartbroken Abul Latheef after the Azza gathering, he said both the hospital and the children’s school have extended their full support as the family begins a long and difficult road ahead.

One of the first challenges, he said, goes beyond physical recovery: The painful task of helping Izzaa understand why her brothers will never return home or walk with her to school again.