Australian woman seeks inquiry into road death of family in Abu Dhabi

The crash, which happened on February 21, led to the deaths of seven people, including the woman’s family.

ABU DHABI // An Australian woman has hired a lawyer to discover the cause of an Abu Dhabi car accident in which five members of her family, who were on holiday in the UAE, were killed.

The crash on February 21 caused the deaths of seven people, including the woman’s family, who were dual Australian-Chinese citizens.

The Australian government's department of foreign affairs and trade told The National it had been providing consular assistance to family members of the Australians who died in the head-on collision.

A spokesman for the Australian government said any questions about charges should be referred to UAE authorities.

Abu Dhabi Police did not comment.

Sydney-based lawyer Gregory Wee said he was representing mother of two Michelle Lui, who lost her parents, Bruce Liu, 71, and Stella Liu, 68, brother Adrian Liu,44, sister-in-law Fontaine Chan-Liu, 39, and nephew Hayden, 4, in the crash.

Australian media said the victims were travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi when their vehicle was struck by a pick-up truck that had veered into their lane.

Reports say the collision also killed a tour guide and a passenger travelling in the other vehicle. The driver survived.

“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Mr Wee told the Australian media. “She’s grieving the loss of her family and asks that her privacy be respected,” he said, adding that she wanted to find out details surrounding the crash.

An official from the Chinese embassy said staff were told about the incident by the Australian embassy.

The official said the matter was being dealt with by Australian authorities.

“We offered to provide assistance,” he said.