London: A British toddler has been orphaned after five members of his family were killed in a car crash on a pilgrimage to Makkah.
One-year-old Mohammad Eisa Danial Hayat was found cradled in his dying grandfather's arms surrounded by the bodies of his father, pregnant mother, grandmother and aunt.
The family, from Newport, South Wales, had flown to Saudi Arabia and were in a taxi when it hit a concrete bridge before somersaulting off the road and ending up on its roof in a ditch.
Moments before the tragedy Mohammad's aunt texted relatives to say the driver was going 'too fast'.
His father Mohammad Isshaq Hayat, 33, and his mother Bilques, 30, who was due to give birth in eight weeks, died instantly.
Hayat's father Shaukat Ali, 56, mother Abida, 54, and his sister Saira Zenub, 29 — who was due to be married this weekend — were also killed, as was the driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep.
They died as they made a four-hour journey from Makkah to visit relatives in Jeddah on Friday. Mohammad had several injuries, including a dislocated shoulder, broken arm and ribs, but relatives said his grandfather had saved him by cradling him.
Sma Hayat, 58, believes his brother Shaukat realised what was happening when the taxi veered off a motorway and died saving his grandson.
Hayat added: “He grabbed the baby, clutched him in his arms and cushioned him. His actions saved his life. The boy has lost everyone but luckily he has pulled through.”
The five killed were buried in a cemetery in Medina. Twenty members of the Hayat family left Newport over the weekend for the funeral and are expected to bring Mohammad back to Britain where he will receive further medical treatment.
Newport councillor Ron Jones said: “They were a tremendous family, deeply involved in the community and absolutely upstanding.
“There are a lot of people who are going to feel their passing very deeply. It's a massive and unbelievable tragedy.”
