Three years after a bus accident in Dubai killed 17 people and injured 13, survivors and relatives held prayers in memory of those who lost their lives.
Families distributed food to the needy in Dubai and India, and offered flowers and prayers for the people who died on June 6, 2019.
The Omani bus driver, who was found to be travelling at more than double the speed limit when his vehicle struck an overhead height restriction barrier, had his prison sentence reduced from seven years to one for causing the deaths.
Over the past few months, at least three families have received Dh200,000 ($54,450) in compensation that a Dubai court ordered the bus operator’s insurance company to pay each of the victim's families.
Survivors and their relatives continue to struggle with emotional trauma and financial strain as many of the people who died were the sole earning members of their families.
Emotional scars
Athira Kumar, who escaped from the wreckage with her young daughter, said she has recovered from the physical injuries – but the internal scars remain unhealed.
Ms Kumar lost her husband Deepa Kumar, who had worked in Dubai as an accountant for more than 15 years.
“We had a puja [prayer[ for my husband today” Ms Kumar told The National from her home in Kerala. "My daughter is OK and our injuries are better but inside, in our minds, we are always sad.
“Our life is very difficult. We feel alone without him. He was everything to us. I don’t know how I will ever get the strength to move on.”
Ms Kumar had stopped working after she got married but hopes to get a job so she can support her daughter’s education.
More than half of the 31 passengers were killed when returning to Dubai from Muscat, Oman where they had spent the Eid Al Fitr holiday.
Twelve Indians, two Pakistanis, an Irish woman, an Omani and a Filipina were killed when the bus crashed into a metal overhead barrier that ripped through the left side of the vehicle.
Passengers who survived, including Ms Kumar, were seated on the right of the shattered vehicle.
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The maximum-height sign in Dubai that was struck by the bus. Seventeen passengers died in the tragedy. The National -
The solid-steel barrier cut through the bus at seat height. Dubai Police -
13 others were injured in the accident on June 6, 2019. Dubai Police -
Relatives and friends of the 17 people who died in the incident at Sonapur Embalming Centre in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
A relative holds a candle on June 8. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Consul General of India in Dubai, in black suit helping relatives and friends. Pawan Singh / The National -
A view of the barrier pictured on Jul 4. Pawan Singh / The National -
A view of the barrier pictured on Jul 4. Pawan Singh / The National
Several relatives are still involved in the compensation process. Parents, siblings, spouses or children are entitled to seek further civil compensation and some families have filed cases recently.
Several factors are involved, including if the deceased was the sole family earner, had children or dependent parents.
Manisha Thakur lost her husband Vikram and cousin Roshni Moolchandani.
She visited the Hindu temple in Bur Dubai on Monday and distributed food to the needy in the emirate and had some delivered in Pune, her home-town in western India.
Vikram had worked for a telecoms company and the couple were due to celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary a month after he was killed.
“Life has stopped on that day," said Ms Thakur, who has found work with a property company in the city. "My friends say I’m not the same and forever sad.
“I lost my husband when I was 30 years old, it’s as if my life has gone away.
“My husband had a lot of friends and lived life to the fullest. There are so many memories that his friends and colleagues have been sharing with me. They remember how he helped people in need.”
Finding answers
The family of Dubai victim Roshni Moolchandani donated food to underprivileged children in Rajasthan, India.
The hotel employee and aspiring model was 22 when she was killed.
“We distributed special food that Roshni liked to about 500 children,” said her sister Sapna.
“The children prayed for peace of her soul. I feel that Roshni will never be forgotten and must always be celebrated because she taught us so much in her short life.”
Her father Jagdish Moolchandani spent time in prayer at the crash site in Al Rashidiya when he travelled to Dubai twice in the past few months to follow up on the blood money payment.
The accident took place when the driver took a wrong exit and entered a lane not designated for buses. The road had a height restriction barrier that the driver said he had not seen.
Lawyers defending the driver argued that the barrier should not have been made of steel as per international and GCC standards.
Traffic prosecutors said there had been no accidents at the crash site in the preceding decade and that the driver missed a number of signs to warn motorists about the barrier.
“I go there to try to understand why this happened but I have no answers,” Mr Moolchandani said.
“I sometimes feel we have no words left. Roshni was our light, without her we are nothing.”
