Nanny in road crash remains in a coma

ABU DHABI // An Indonesian nanny who was injured in a road accident that killed three of her employer's children is still in a coma in hospital, embassy officials said. Three sisters, aged four, six and seven, died when they were hit by a car near the Carrefour supermarket on Airport Road two weeks ago. They were being accompanied by three Indonesian nannies who were looking after them while the girls' parents were in Saudi Arabia with their three other children.

All six were struck by the car, but two of the nannies, aged 22 and 24, suffered only minor injuries. The third, aged 24, remains in the intensive care unit of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in the capital, according to Lely Meiliani, the first secretary at the Indonesian Embassy. The nanny, who is from central Java, had worked for the Emirati family for the past 18 months. Ms Meiliani said that she had been able to contact the other two women through the mobile phone of their employer, Salem al Mansouri.

"He was really kind and handed over his phone to the nanny," she said. "They're both OK." Ms Meiliani also said she had been able to contact the injured woman's sister and father. "We explained the situation to them and assured them that the women are under our supervision," she said. "We told her sister and father that we had visited her at the hospital. "They are very modest people," she added. "They trust us to look after the women."

Hannan Hadi, the head of the consular section at the embassy, said it was likely that the nannies would be called as witnesses in any court proceedings. "But the police are waiting for the nanny at the hospital to recover," he said. "The nurse at the hospital informed us that the brother of the driver had visited the nanny. We believe that he is concerned about her welfare." Mr Hadi added: "We are not directly involved in the case but are assisting our nationals. We would like to ensure that they receive fair treatment."

The Emirati driver of the car involved was arrested after the incident. Although the two other nannies were questioned by police, they were released soon afterwards and returned to their employer's home. [e-mail]