Survivors and families of bus crash dead say they feel 'left in the dark'

Victims say they need legal representation, information about court procedures and compensation for the horrific bus accident

Firoz Khan and Reshma Pathan pictured in Oman. The couple were among the 17 passengers that died when their bus to Dubai crashed into an overhead height restriction barrier on June 6, 2019. Their son Show more

Survivors and families of the 17 passengers that died in a bus crash in Dubai last month are appealing to authorities for answers, saying they have been kept in the dark about legal proceedings.

On Tuesday, the driver of the Omani tourist bus admitted to a charge of wrongful death, saying the sun hampered his vision and caused him to crash into an overhead height restriction barrier, killing more than half the passengers on-board.

Those who survived the crash have urged the case be resolved quickly to avoid prolonging their trauma.

Relatives of those who died said that, while the driver had been appointed a lawyer to defend him, they have received no communication from authorities since the fatal accident.

Zidan Firoz Pathan was seated across the aisle from his parents, Firoz Khan and Reshma Pathan, in the bus to Al Rashidiya on June 6. He saw them both die that day.

“We were just planning a holiday in Dubai. Who thought I would lose them both,” said Pathan, 20, who now lives in Mumbai with his grandparents.

“We need justice for our families. It hurts a lot that the man responsible for my parents’ death and the death of so many people has someone to represent him but there is no one to speak for the innocent people who died.”

Police last week said the bus driver, 53, was travelling at twice the speed limit and failed to see warning signs that included road bumps and a height restriction chain.

The force of the crash tore the left side of the bus almost all the way through, killing most sat on that side.

Many of the 31 bus passengers, like Mr Pathan, were tourists or residents from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, Germany and the Philippines travelling to Dubai for the Eid break.

“We are not from Dubai or the UAE so it is difficult to understand what documents are required, who we should approach,” said Mr Pathan.

“We need help from the government of Dubai and Oman, the Indian consulate and the bus company.”

The last joyful memory Mr Pathan has is of sharing pizza with his parents about 30 minutes before the crash.

“I was lying across two seats — that is why I survived,” he said.

“Then the glass powder from the smashed windscreen was all over my face and I saw my father on the floor of the bus with his head bleeding.

“My mother was conscious for a few minutes and there was no blood on her face so I thought she was fine when I pulled her out of the bus. But the ambulance guys took her pulse and said she too was no more.”

He said the horrific scene is replayed in nightmares, making it difficult to sleep most nights.

Over the next month, Mr Pathan must travel to Muscat to clear out his father’s rented home and complete paperwork with the petroleum company Khan worked with for more than 13 years.

As in the case of much of the passengers who died, Khan was the family’s sole earning member.

“I look at their photos to remind myself how we were before the accident,” said Mr Pathan, who is studying mechanical engineering in Mumbai.

“People say I’m lucky to be alive but so many have died. There is no one to give us any answers.”

Other families have also joined in to ask for assistance.

"The Oman government and company are helping the driver but it is because of his actions that our families are suffering," said Darpan Moolchandani, who lost his sister Roshni, an aspiring model, in the accident.

“We need help from the Dubai and Oman government and the Indian embassy to guide us. We are not locals of Dubai so we don’t know what documents are needed.”

Officials and lawyers said the case was complicated because the accident occurred in Dubai but the bus company and driver were Omani.

Of the 17 passengers who died in the accident, 12 were Indian.

Mr Vipul, the Indian Consul General in Dubai, said consular officers would check with the UAE foreign office to find out which procedures need to be followed.

He said they were also trying to find a lawyer to represent the survivors and families for free.

“It is not a straightforward case but we will be following up,” Mr Vipul said.

“We can be the facilitators to help the families. There will be lawyers within the community who will be willing to take this case pro bono.”

Mwasalat, the government-owned public transport company that operated the bus to Dubai from Muscat, said information about compensation would be released once the investigation was completed.