Abu Dhabi: A trip to a community get-together ended in tragedy for a Bangladeshi expat family in Abu Dhabi, as the mother and her teenage son were killed in a car crash on Monday night.
The Bangladeshi Embassy in Abu Dhabi confirmed the deaths to Gulf News on Wednesday.
The mission identified the victims as Ashima Chowdhury, 48, and her son Aritra Biswas, 15.
Her husband, Sree Swarup Kanti Biswas, 59, who was driving, survived with injuries.
The accident reportedly happened at about 9pm on Monday Road near Al Wathba Bridge on Al Ain Road. The father was behind the wheel when a speeding car reportedly hit his vehicle from behind. The police are investigating the accident. Gulf News could not immediately reach out to Abu Dhabi Police for a comment.
Friend shares shock
Family friend and journalist Sanjit Kumar Shil, who was heading to the same event and was only five minutes behind the family, came across the aftermath. "I might have been just five minutes behind them," he told Gulf News.
"I saw the police and ambulance rushing past my car,” he recalled.
Moments later, he received a call from a friend saying that one of the families travelling to the event had been involved in an accident. By the time he reached the spot and saw the car, he realised it was the family he knew.
“It was shocking. We all knew each other for a long time,” he said.
Daughter at home
The family were long-term residents of the capital.
According to Sanjit, Sree Swarup came to the UAE in 2003 and works as an engineer in Abu Dhabi. His wife worked with a travel agency.
He said the couple's elder daughter was at home at the time of the accident. "She is a student at a university in Dubai while their son studied in a school in Abu Dhabi," Sanjit said.
He said Sree Swarup has been discharged from a hospital but is still suffering from his injuries and trauma.
The family is likely to hold the funeral in the UAE.