Dubai: An Indian tourist died while his wife is fighting for her life after the couple met with an accident during a trip to Dubai, community sources told Gulf News.
Two people were confirmed dead while a third person has reportedly succumbed to injuries after a collision between the minibus they were travelling in and a truck on Emirates Road on Monday.
The victims of the accident were heading for a desert safari arranged for tourists, it emerged on Tuesday.
The minibus was carrying three couples of different nationalities for a desert safari and the crash took place near Al Aweer area while they were driving towards Sharjah around 4.30pm, police sources said.
The Indian man, 39, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, and the Pakistani driver, 23, were killed on the spot.
Initial investigation by Dubai Police showed the bus driver did not leave safe distance between the vehicles, leading to the crash.
The Indian tourist has been identified as Dinesh Kawad. His wife Neetu Jain, 37, is fighting for her life in the ICU of Rashid Hospital, said Kesar Kothari, chairman of Rajasthan Business and Professional Group (RBPG) in Dubai.
He said the couple hailed from Rajasthan state and was settled in Bellary in Karnataka where they own a business.
“They came on a trip to Dubai leaving their two children back home,” said Kothari.
He said a relative of Kawad called the RBPG officials seeking help for the couple.
“We visited the hospital and coordinated with the Indian Consulate to help them with the paper work,” he said.
A relative of Kawad flew in on Tuesday morning while some relatives of Jain were expected to arrive by late evening.
The Indian Consulate in Dubai said it has completed all formalities for the repatriation of Kawad’s body.
“We are trying to send his body home either at night or early morning,” said Kawad.
Quoting hospital sources, he said an Italian woman in the tourist group, who was believed to be three months pregnant, also succumbed to injuries. This could not be independently verified by Gulf News.
The Italian woman’s partner and a Chinese couple who were also in the minibus survived with minor injuries.
— With inputs from Ali Al Shouk, Staff Reporter
