12 Indians among 17 killed in Dubai bus accident
Dubai, Jun 7: At least 12 Indians were among the 17 people killed in a horrific bus accident in Dubai when the vehicle, coming from Oman, rammed into a low-clearance sign, police and the Indian mission here said on Friday.
Nine persons were seriously injured when the driver of the bus, belonging to the Omani bus transport company Mwasalat, wrongly entered a road not designated for buses towards Al Rashidiya metro station here on Thursday.
Dubai Police authorities said that there are still some unidentified bodies and the number of Indians who died in the accident could increase further.
"With great sadness we inform that Indian fatalities in Dubai bus accident have gone up to 12," Vipul, Indian Consular General in Dubai, tweeted.
He said that the embassy officials are at the Rashidiya police station and mortuary to extend all assistance to the families of the victims.
"Our effort now is to get formalities completed soon so that mortal remains can be repatriated soon," he said.
The bus, carrying 31 passengers, crashed into a height barrier that cut the left side of the bus and killed passengers sitting on that side, the Gulf News reported.
Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.
"Deeply grieved by the unfortunate bus accident in Dubai that has claimed 12 Indian lives. My sincere condolences to the families," he tweeted.
Vipul also released a list of the Indians killed in the accident.
The names of those who passed away are Vikram Jawahar Thakur, Vimal Kumar Karthikeyan Kesavapilaikar, Kiran Johny Johny Vallithottathil Paily, Firoz Khan Aziz Pathan, Reshma Feroz Khan Pathan, Jamaludeen Arakkaveettil, Vasudev Vishandas, Rajan Puthiyapurayil Gopalan, Prabula Madhavan Deepa Kumar, Roshni Moolchandani, Ummer Chonokatavath Mammad Puthen, Nabil Ummer Chonokatavath.
The Indian Consulate had earlier tweeted that four Indians were discharged after first aid and three are receiving treatment in Rashid hospital.
"The Consulate along with other officials and community members met the concerned relatives as well as hospital and police authorities late in the night to assure of all help," it tweeted.
It also issued a helpline number- +971-565463903- for any queries related to those travelling on the fated bus.
The Dubai Police too expressed its condolences.
"The General Directorate of Dubai Police extends its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased who were involved in a bus crash at Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, which killed 17 passengers," it
Transport company Mwasalat issued a statement on Twitter announcing the suspension of their daily services between Muscat and Dubai and vice versa, until further notice.
"Mwasalat family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," the company tweeted.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
