Dubai: Roshni Moolchandani, a young Indian model who was killed in Thursday’s horrific bus crash in Dubai, was cremated here on Saturday evening. She was a former Gulf News intern.
The funeral took place at the Hindu Crematorium in Jebel Ali, and was completed at around 7.45pm on Saturday.
“Her father and brother came over from India to perform the last rites here itself. It was a heartbreaking scene when they saw her disfigured face. Both of them were crying inconsolably, falling on her feet,” said social worker Girish Pant, who was assisting the family.
Roshni, 22, a former intern with Gulf News, worked with the marketing department of a luxury hotel in Palm Jumeirah.
Gulf News employees were shocked to learn about her tragic death and remembered her as a dynamic person with quick learning skills.
She was into modelling, had won beauty contests and taken part in many fashion shows.
With close to 53,000 followers, Roshni’s Instagram account shows marvellous photos of the young model at picturesque locations, including her workplace.
Grief
Several Instagram followers expressed their grief and paid condolences after they read her name in the list of victims announced by the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Friday.
In her last series of Instagram stories from Oman, Roshni posted photos and videos of her enjoying the holiday in Salalah. Her final photo from Muscat had the caption: ‘And it’s time to go … Back home.’
Roshni had gone to Muscat to spend Eid holidays along with some of her friends and her cousin Maneesha’s husband Vikram Jawahar Thakur, who also perished in the accident.
Maneesha, who was also supposed to join them, had to back out at the last minute due to some work and was shattered to know about the tragic end of her husband and cousin.
Among the 12 Indian victims of the bus crash, Roshni was the only one whose mortal remains were not flown back home.
At the time of publishing this report, the family was scheduled to fly the mortal remains of Vikram to Mumbai on an Air India flight at 3:20am on Sunday.
‘He was the only breadwinner in the family’
Father of two among two Pakistanis dead in Dubai bus crash; body repatriated
Dubai: With his job as a restaurant delivery boy, Shafiq Ahmad was struggling to feed his big family in Pakistan’s Dera Ghazi Khan, so he quit his job and had gone to Oman for a visa change as he was expecting to take up a better job soon.
That never materialised, as before Ahmad could set his foot in Dubai again, the horrific Thursday bus crash snatched his dream of a better life for him and his family.
Ahmad was among the 17 casualties of the accident that happened after a Dubai-Muscat tour bus took a wrong turn and crashed into a height barrier just minutes way from reaching its destination.
He was among the two Pakistanis who died in the accident that also included 12 Indians, one Omani and an Irish national.
In a statement to Gulf News, Pakistan Consulate said that both the victims have been identified and all the formalities for the repatriation of the bodies have been carried out.
Consular assistance
The consulate ensured that the victims and their families are receiving all the consular assistance.
“Out of the dead, two Pakistanis have been identified. One is Shafiq Ahmad from Dera Ghazi khan. His NOC has been issued and passport is also cancelled by Consulate,” the statement said.
Ahmad’s body was transported to Multan by Airblue on Saturday in a 6pm flight.
According to Ahmad’s close friend and roommate Mohammad Sarmad, who was the last to speak with him, just minutes before the crash, a prayer congregation for Ahmad was held before the body was flown home.
“We all got together and prayed, which is the only thing we could do. His body is scheduled to reach home around 9.30pm (Pakistan time) where the funeral is to be held immediately,” said Sarmad, who shared the room with Ahmad for six years.
A father of two, Ahmad has been working in Dubai as a restaurant delivery boy for six years and had gone to Oman for a visa change.
“I had gone to pick him at the Rashidiya Metro Station. He called me just minutes before the crash informing that the bus will be reaching the station shortly, but the bus never arrived and as I waited there I got the news of the accident and rushed to the spot. He was already dead,” said Sarmad.
The only breadwinner of the his family, Ahmad, 40, is survived by his old mother, his wife, two young children and an unmarried sister.
“My uncle was the only earning member in the family. He has no brothers and his father passed away long back. His children are small and he also has an unmarried sister. He was barely managing all the expenses as a delivery boy, so had quit his job recently and was about to take another job, but it was not to be,” said Irfan Haider, Ahmad’s nephew, who is based in Dubai.
The Pakistan Consulate also identified the second Pakistani who died in the accident as Shehzad Khan son of Sarfraz Khan. His body will be repatriated to Peshawar after completion of necessary documents. Another Pakistani national, Jamshed Khan had a fracture and left hospital after treatment, the consulate said.
Dubai bus crash: Indian victims’ bodies to be flown home
Free repatriation for Indian bus crash victims
Dubai: The repatriation of the mortal remains of Indian victims of Thursday’s bus crash in Dubai has begun. While seven are being repatriated on Saturday, four are scheduled to be sent home early Sunday.
The family of one of the victims, meanwhile, decided to hold the funeral in Dubai.
Twelve of the 17 passengers who died after the Muscat-Dubai bus crashed on to a height barrier were identified as Indians.
Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul told Gulf News on Saturday morning that the mortal remains of the Indian victims will be repatriated free of cost by Air India in cases where their employers are not bearing the cost.
“The Consulate has waived the fees for emergency certificates as most passports [of victims and family members] are either damaged or blood-soaked. We will be bearing the cost of embalming of the bodies also wherever it is necessary,” he said.
The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) was being used for extending support to the victims and families.
Emergency certificate
Emergency certificate is the travel document issued in the absence of a valid passport.
The Consulate was kept open on Friday to issue these certificates and these were handed over to the families at the Al Baraha Hospital where the death certificates were being issued by the local authorities, Vipul said.
He confirmed that the mortal remains of one of the victims, Jamaludeen Muhammadunni Arakkaveettil were flown home to his hometown in the south Indian state of Kerala in the wee hours of Saturday.
Since his case was handled by his colleagues and friends, officials said they would be reimbursed.
Vipul said bodies of all Indian victims except one have been scheduled to be flown home on Saturday and Sunday on Air India and Air India Express flights.
“Parents of the victim Roshni Moolchandani are flying down from India this afternoon. The family has decided to conduct her funeral here in Dubai,” he said.
Moolchandani had reportedly been to Oman to celebrate Eid holidays along with some friends and her brother-in-law Vikram Jawahar Thakur, who was also killed in the accident.
Among the 17 casualties of the bus tragedy, two were identified as Pakistani nationals Shafiq Ahmad from Dera Ghazi Khan and Shehzad Khan from Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa.
Embalming
By noon, family members, friends and acquaintances of some of the victims gathered at the embalming unit of the Medical Fitness Centre in Muhaisnah.The Consul General visited them and offered condolences.
The first two bodies to be embalmed and flown home were those of the father and son duo who perished in the crash.
Ummer Chonokadavth, 65, and son Nabil Ummer, 25, were returning to Dubai after spending the Eid holidays with Ummer’s daughter’s family in Muscat.
Devastated
Nahim Shad, nephew of Ummer, who was at the embalming centre told Gulf News that the family has been shattered by the tragedy.
“Everyone is devastated. His wife has not been told about their deaths yet. She has been told that they were injured in the accident. We are afraid how she would bear the pain of losing both of them together. Now, she will have to be informed.”
Ummer’s younger brother Isahaq, who works at a spare parts store in Sharjah accompanied the mortal remains.
Speaking to Gulf News, Isahaq said Ummer has been a long time resident of Abu Dhabi and had left UAE a few years back.
“He worked for Abu Dhabi Municipality for around 30 years, but he went back home a few years back. Recently, he came back on a business trip, I never thought I will have to take him back home in this way,” said Isahaq, chocking back his tears.
Victim Deepa Kumar’s wife Athira and four-year-old daughter Athulya, who survived the crash, were sent home with the former’s cousin on an Indigo flight at 11.20am.
“Athira collected their passports from Rashidiya Police Station on Friday night. She wasn’t told about Kumar’s death till they left here. She was told he had a spinal injury and cannot be flown home with her. But she had started to become suspicious that something serious had gone wrong,” said the family’s neighbour Sajila Junaid.
She said Athira’s brother was accompanying Kumar’s body on Saturday night.
Word of thanks
The Consul General thanked the Dubai Police, hospital officials and other local authorities for extending support to the victims and survivors.
He also took the opportunity to appreciate the consulate officials especially consuls Sanjeev Kumar, Prem Chand, PRO Abdul Kareem and social worker Naseer Vatanappally and other social workers who had been working day and night to complete the legal formalities.
The tragedy has left the Indian community in shock with several community members and social workers coming forward to support the grieving families. “All of us appreciate and are thankful for the extraordinary support from our Consul General, his team and Air India. The community is thankful to Dubai Police officials and hospital authorities also for their timely support without which the consulate couldn’t have completed the paper works this fast,” said social worker Nandi Nazar.
Repatriation schedule of Indian victims from Dubai on Air India and Air India Express flights, below.
Flight schedule
1. Mr Vikram Jawahar Thakur – DXB-BOM /AI0912 09JUNE
03.20am
2. Mr Vimal Kumar Karthikeyan- DXB-TRV /IX0540 08JUNE
08.45pm
3. Mr Vasudev Khelani-DXB-BOM- JDH / AI0984 08JUNE
11.40pm
4. Mr Ummer Chonokatavath DXB-CCJ / AI0938 08JUNE
03.50pm
5. Mr Deepa Kumar Prabula Madhavan DXB-TRV /0540 08JUNE
08.45pm
6. Mr Arakkaveettil Muhamedunni Jamaludeen DXB-COK/IX0412 08JUNE
02.05am
7. Mr Nabil Ummer-DXB-CCJ-AI0938 08JUNE
03.50pm
8. Mr. Rajan Puthiyapurayil-DXB-CCJ / IX0344 09JUNE
02.25am
9. Mrs Reshma Firoz –DXB-BOM / AI912 -09JUNE
03.20am
10. Mr Firoz Khan – DXB-BOM / AI912 -09JUNE
03.20am
11. Mr Kiran Johny – DXB-CCJ Ix536 08/6/19
05.10pm
Free repatriation for Indian bus crash victims
The bodies of the Indian victims in Dubai’s bus crash on Thursday are to be flown home for free in cases where their families do not get immediate support from their employers.
The Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul told Gulf News on Saturday morning that the remains of the Indian victims will be repatriated free of cost by Air India if employers don’t offer aid. The Consul General also thanked Dubai Police and all hospital authorities for their support.
Twelve of the 17 passengers who died after the Muscat-Dubai bus crashed into a height barrier were identified as Indians.
“The Consulate has waived the fees for emergency certificates as most passports [of victims and family members] are either damaged or blood-soaked. We will be bearing the cost of embalming the bodies also wherever it is necessary,” he said.
In the absence of a valid passport an emergency certificate is the travel document issued. The Consulate was kept open on Friday to issue and handover these papers to the families at the Al Baraha Hospital where death certificates were being issued by local authorities, Vipul said.
He confirmed that the body of one of the victims, Jamaludeen Muhammadunni Arakkaveettil, had been flown to his hometown in the south Indian state of Kerala in the wee hours of Saturday. However, his case was handled by his colleagues and friends.
“Formalities have been completed for ten victims. There was a delay in the case of the two women as there was no female doctor available. We hope to complete the formalities and repatriate most of the victims today itself.”
The Consul General also took the opportunity to appreciate the consulate officials especially consuls Sanjeev Kumar, Prem Chand, PRO Abdul Kareem and social worker Naseer Vatanappally and other social workers who have been coordinating with the consulate day and night to complete the legal formalities. The Consul General also thanked Dubai Police and all hospital authorities for their support.
Dubai bus crash: Pakistani victims identified
Dubai: Two Pakistani victims who died following a horrific tourist bus crash in Dubai were identified on Saturday.
The Pakistani consulate in Dubai said they are giving consular assistance to the victims and their families.
The accident killed 17 people — including Indians, Pakistanis, an Omani and a citizen of Ireland — making it one of the worst accidents in the UAE.
Cause of accident
In a statement, the Pakistani consulate said: “A tourist bus from Oman to Dubai crashed on Thursday night (6th June 2019) in Dubai.
“The cause of the accident was the negligence of the Omani driver who disregarded the warning signs and crashed the bus on the low-ceiling bridge. Seventeen people died and nine others were severely injured.
“Out of the dead, two Pakistani have been identified. One is Shafiq from DG Khan. His NOC has been issued and passport also cancelled from Consulate. His body will be transported to Multan by Airblue this evening.
“Second Pakistani died in the accident is identified as Shehzad Khan, son of Sarfraz Khan, his body will be transported to Peshawar after completion of necessary documents. Another Pakistani national, Jamshed Khan had a fracture and left hospital after treatment.
“The Consulate General staff was at hospital and at the Police Station and accident site and assisted in the relief of dead and injured.”
