Abu Dhabi nurse killed in road accident on holiday in Oman

The mother of two from Kerala was travelling near Salalah

A view of Salalah in autumn. Photo: Oman's Ministry of Tourism

A hospital nurse who worked in Abu Dhabi has died in a road accident while she was on holiday in Oman.

Sheba Mary Thomas, 33, was killed after the car she was travelling in overturned after colliding with a lorry on Sunday near Salalah.

The mother of two was from Kerala, local media there reported.

She leaves behind her elderly parents, husband Sajimon Raju, 35, daughter Evelyn Maria Saji, 5, and son Edvin Samuel Saji, 2.

Seven people suffered serious injuries in the incident, according to reports.

Her son is among those in hospital and is being treated for multiple fractures. Her daughter was uninjured.

PD Thomas, Ms Thomas’s father, said the family was struggling to come to terms with her loss.

The main road from Muscat to Salalah, a popular drive for many travellers from the UAE, Oman and elsewhere, is 1,100 kilometres long and about 40 per cent of it is single carriageway.

Every year people are killed on the road, including tourists who are unfamiliar with the long stretch and changeable weather conditions.

In 2017, police statistics showed an average of 105 fatalities a year on the stretch to Salalah - about a quarter of all road deaths in the Sultanate.

Oman's cave network: in pictures

Oman’s Jebel Akhdar region is dotted with caves caused by eroding limestone. Photo: Nabil Alsaqri

A group of Omani cavers are mapping out the openings. Photo: Salim Alsuqri

The cavers have written a book about Oman's cave system, ranging from expert level explorations to family-friendly adventures. Photo: Nabil Alsaqri

The same team discovered the 'Well of Hell' cave last year.

The caves vary in size, from the small to the enormous.

A caver lies on the ground, to manoeuvre in a tight area, during an expedition. Photo: Nabil Alsaqri

Mounds known as stalagmites on the floor of a cave.

Icicle-shaped stalactites form across a cave’s ceiling.

Rays of sunlight illuminate a shaft as the explorers descend.

Oman is promoting the caves as a tourist draw.

The caves are home to lizards, water beetles, snails, hunting spiders and fish.

This cave called Khaslat Safi Sahra was known to locals but not extensively explored.

The period of discovering, documenting and surveying the cave took about five hours.

A cave-dwelling spider.

Some caves were used in the past as shelter or hideouts during times of conflict.