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Pakistani victim called family minutes before Dubai bus crash

Dubai - Both Pakistani victims had travelled to Oman on a visa run.

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Forty minutes before he was to reach Dubai, Shahzad Khan called his family in Pakistan and told them he was on his way back to the emirate after spending two days in Oman. He said he would call them again once he got to his accommodation - but he never made it.
Khan was one of the two Pakistanis who died in the tourist bus accident on Thursday. The other man was identified as Shafiq Ahmed, son of Muhammed Ahmed, an officer at the Pakistani mission in Dubai told Khaleej Times.
Both victims had travelled to Oman on a visa run.
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Kamaluddin Shah, Khan's cousin who is based in Dubai, has been in touch with the family and has been coordinating with the authorities since he learnt about the crash.
According to Shah, the family had been waiting for Khan's call until midnight, and they rang his phone to no avail. The next day, when they learnt that there were two Pakistanis who died in the horrific crash, they got worried and asked Shah to check if Khan had been hurt.
Soon enough, Shah read his cousin's name on a local paper, as one of those who were killed. He decided not to tell the family yet until he had verified with the police and completed all the paperwork required.
"His mother was in a state of shock, she couldn't believe that he died," Shah said.
A married man with two kids - a four-year-old and a one-year-old - Khan, 35, was a breadwinner of his family.
Shah said he had already received all the documents required for the repatriation of his cousin's remains. The body is scheduled to transported to Peshawar via Pakistan International Airlines at 1pm today, he said.
The other Pakistani victim, Ahmed, had already been repatriated to Multan via Airblue on Saturday night, the mission said. The Consulate-General's teams had been at the hospital, at the police station, and the accident site, as they assisted the injured victims, as well as the families and friends of those who died.
Another resident, Junaid Khan, suffered a fracture. "He has received treatment and was discharged from the hospital," said the mission's officer.
 
Other fatalities
The fatalities also included an Omani, a Filipino, and an Irish.
The Filipina victim was a tourist who lived in Oman, and the Dubai Police were already able to get in touch with her brother. The Irish national's body is yet to be claimed.
amira@khaleejtimes.com