Efforts 'On' to Repatriate Bodies of Indian Workers

Dubai: Authorities are trying to speed up process to repatriatethe bodies of the nine Indian workers who were killed in a road accident inDubai, officials said. "We are trying to speed up things so that therepatriation of bodies is done at the earliest," India's Ambassador to theUAE T P Seetharam said.

Seven of the ninevictims are said to be from Bihar while the other two are from Uttar Pradesh. MrSeetharam said Indian officials are now focusing on making arrangements for thedead bodies to be sent home.

Thirteen workers, nine of them Indians, were killed and14 others injured when the minibus they were travelling in rammed in a parkedtruck on Saturday.

The ambassador said that completing formalities relatedto repatriation of bodies are likely to take 2-3 days. He said that forensictests are being carried out to complete the process of investigation.

According to local reports, few other workers who wereinjured in the accident have been discharged from hospital. Indian embassy andconsulate officials have visited the victims and are making necessaryarrangements.

The drivers of the truck and the minibus that wereinvolved in the fatal accident are being questioned. A Dubai Health Authorityspokesperson on Sunday said that 10 patients were received by the RashidHospital's Trauma and Emergency Centre on Saturday.

Of these, six were discharged the same day. The remainingfour are presently stable and undergoing treatment at the hospital.