Bodies of four killed in accident flown home

DUBAI — It was a moving sight as workers and friends of the four Pakistanis killed in the collapse of the steel mesh wall at the Dubai airport expansion site on September 27 gathered outside Al Maktoum Hospital for a last glimpse of their beloved colleagues before they were flown out of the UAE yesterday.

Asma Ali Zain

Published: Fri 8 Oct 2004, 12:39 PM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 2:38 PM

The silence hung heavy as the men in blue bravely fought back the tears that threatened to roll down their cheeks.

The shock of what had happened was writ large on their faces as the coffins were brought out and each sent a little prayer heavenwards for their beloved colleagues’ souls.

The workers belonging to Al Naboodah Laing ‘O’ Rourke had gathered in force to pay their last respects at the funeral prayer held for the four Pakistanis — Mohammed Amjad, Abdul Hameed, Fazal Ayaz and Mohammed Abdul Haleem — at Al Maktoum Hospital before their homeward-bound flight.

The prayers over, the bodies were officially handed over to the next-of-kin who proceeded to the airport in the afternoon. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Qaseem Ahmed, the nephew of the 38-year-old Abdul Hameed, said that the family of his uncle was awaiting eagerly as they already knew of his death.

He also said that uptill now; the company had not handed over the promised compensation, adding that all formalities would be completed upon their return from Pakistan.

According to him, the family of the dead person might be given an amount of Dh170, 000 as insurance claims and an additional Dh50, 000, 24-month salary and a job for one family member, as promised by Al Naboodah Laing.

“One thing that bothers me is that if PIA would be bearing the cost of travel for both the body and myself, then what is the company actually bearing,” questioned a perplexed Qaseem Ahmed.

“The insurance money will also be paid by the insurance company, so what is the company that is responsible for the death actually bearing?” he asked.

But despite constant criticism from the Press and efforts to contact the higher-ups of Al Naboodah Laing, no official was available for comment.

Officials from the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai said that all paper work had been completed by them on time, including cancellation of visas, and handed over to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) which, as per the airline policy, would fly the bodies free-of-cost. The dead bodies were flown to Peshawar, from where they would be taken to respective destinations of Swabi, Abbotabad and Lahore.