Bodies of nine Indian crash victims to be sent home

Dubai, May 12 (IANS) The Indian mission in Dubai said Monday that the bodies of nine Indian expatriates who died in Saturday's road accident here will be repatriated in the next few days, a media report said.

"We will be providing all facilitation to the company for the repatriation and eventually for compensation for the affected families," Khaleej Times quoted a spokesperson from the Indian consulate here as saying Monday.

On Sunday, the Indian consulate in Dubai confirmed that nine Indian nationals were among the 13 people killed in fatal road accident on Dubai's busy Emirates Road.

Four Bangladeshis were also killed on the spot and 16 others were injured in the accident that occurred when their bus rammed into a parked truck on the road shoulder of Emirates Road.

The bus carrying 29 labourers, employed mostly as welders, fabricators and fitters, was travelling from their accommodation in UAE's Umm Al Quwain emirate to their workplace in Jebel Ali, a port town located 35 km from Dubai.

The workers were employed in Bravo Technical Construction company owned by Holland Technical Contracting Services.

The company has assured that all the workers will be financially compensated.

Pramod P., a manager of the Holland Group, said the bus and workers were covered under different insurance packages.

"The bus has full coverage and the workers are entitled for workers' compensation insurance also. We at the company are doing our best to support their families. We are already working on a fund," he said.

Pramod said the company was working with the authorities and the diplomatic missions to repatriate the bodies.

Meanwhile, the Dubai public prosecution is investigating the case.

The 40-year-old Pakistani truck driver has been placed under provisional detention, the report said.