DUBAI // The bodies of the two Emirati victims of a fatal road traffic accident in Malaysia on Sunday are expected to be repatriated soon.
Hajar Al Tanajy, 34, and her daughter Mira Ali, 13, were killed during a family holiday when the car they were in hit a roadside barrier.
Ms Al Tanajy, who was pregnant with her fifth child, died while receiving treatment at Tapah hospital. The daughter was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman's husband, Ali Mohammed Amer, 38, and their two sons Mohammed, 11, and Saif, 8, and daughter Moza, 5, were also in the car but escaped with minor injuries.
"At the moment I don't have any information as to when the bodies will be repatriated and when the family will return to the UAE," said Syahrom Su, vice consul at the Malaysian consulate in Dubai. "But usually for cases involving Muslim bodies they will try to make it as easy and as quick as possible."
The process for the repatriation may already have started and the bodies could be back in the UAE by the end of the week, he said.
"Usually the police and the hospital can complete their procedures and make the bodies ready. It is a matter for the family and the UAE Embassy on deciding when it would be appropriate to return home."
The family had been in Malaysia since September 3 enjoying a holiday when they decided to take a trip along the north-south motorway to Penang.
The driver of the car they were in is believed to have lost control, skidded across the road and crashed into the railing, ending up facing the wrong way in the emergency lane, Mr Su said.
The Yemeni driver, who was also the family's tour guide, has been identified as Musleh Hamid Abdo Mohammed. Malaysian police have arrested him and he is helping with their inquiries.
According to Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National, the family was due to return to their Dibba Al Hisn home today.
Ms Al Tanajy's father thanked Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the staff at the UAE Embassy in Malaysia for helping the family.
nhanif@thenational.ae
