Indian toddler in critical condition after Oman car crash that killed six

The three-year-old's parents and baby brother also died in the crash on road to Dubai on Friday night

Six people, including three Indians from the same family, died in a car accident on Dubai-Salalah Road. Courtesy Amjed Ullah Khan
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An Indian toddler is in critical condition in a hospital in Oman after a car crash that killed her parents, younger brother and three others at the weekend.

Gousulla Khan, 31, his wife, Ayesha Siddiqua, 31, and their two children – Haniyaa, 3, and Hamza, eight months – were returning to their home in Dubai from Salalah on Friday when their car collided with another car carrying three Omanis around midnight.

Khan, Siddiqua and Hamza died instantly while Haniyaa, who suffered severe head injuries, was taken to Nizwa Hospital in Oman.

Royal Oman Police said the crash occurred in Al Wusta Governate.

"The accident occurred when a vehicle overturned and collided with another vehicle, [resulting] in the deaths of three citizens from the first vehicle and three expatriates who were in the second vehicle,” an official told the Times of Oman.

The Indian embassy in Oman spoke to the Khan family and repatriated the bodies to India, with the help of Deccan Wing, a social organisation set up in Oman by Indian expatriates from Hyderabad.

The bodies arrived on Sunday, when funerals were held.

The embassy said Haniyaa had since been transferred to Khoula Hospital in Muscat for "specialised treatment."

"The accident occurred between 1am and 2am on Friday," Mushtaq Ahmed, a lecturer at the Nizwa College of Technology and a member of Deccan Wing, told The National on Sunday.

"Despite getting copies of the family's passports, we were not initially able to locate their relatives."

He said people on social media helped him find the relatives of the deceased.

Mr Ahmed said Khan was an employee at a contracting company in Dubai while his wife was a homemaker.

Azizullah Khan, the younger brother of Gousulla, said the family were on their way back from a holiday in Oman when the accident happened.

"My brother was the eldest of four siblings and he was like a father figure to me," Mr Khan told The National.

"He was like my right hand. He lived in Dubai and we are in Hyderabad but he governed all the activities at my house. 

"He used to guide me, scold me, teach me and I sought his approval before doing anything."

Mr Khan said Haniyaa had moved her leg slightly, giving doctors and the family hope.

"Her blood pressure was extremely high but has gone down now. There are no blood clots or brain injuries. She is [still] unconscious but we are planning to take her for surgery," he said.

The family intends to take her to India when she is well enough to travel.

"Please pray for Haaniya’s speedy recovery and that Allah grants my brother, sister-in-law and their son the highest place in heaven," Mr Khan said.