WATCH: Thousands in Al Ain flock to heartbreaking funeral of girl, 14, after parents unable to attend

Sheikh Saif thanked the people of Al Ain for their support as the girl's family were unable to attend due to their injuries

Provided by Ehab El Sheikh, a friend of Al Jarrar family and the head of the secondary department at Al Dhafra Private School in Al Ain
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Thousands of mourners flocked to the funeral of a young girl who died in a road crash after hearing that her parents were too badly injured to pray for her in person.

An estimated 3,000 people attended the Hamoudah bin Ali Mosque in Al Ain on Monday for the funeral prayers of Dana Al Jarrar, a 14-year-old Jordanian.

Dana was with her family when the accident occurred on the Dubai-Al Ain road on Friday. Her father, mother, two sisters and a brother suffered severe injuries and were transferred to Rashid hospital for treatment. They were not able to attend the funeral.

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, thanked the people of Al Ain for their participation in the funeral and prayed for the family.

“May Allah have mercy on Dana who died in a car accident and May Allah reward Al Ain's people with the best reward for their positive citizenship. They responded to the funeral prayer calls sent via phone messages as her parents are still at the hospital (may Allah heal them) and filled Hamouda Ben Ali Mosque,” posted Sheikh Saif on Twitter.

He also posted a video of the funeral attendees blocking the roads surrounding the mosque.

Ehab El Sheikh, a friend of Al Jarrar family and the head of the secondary department at Al Dhafra Private School in Al Ain, said that around 3,000 people attended the funeral and 1,200 attended Dana's burial.

"We sent mobile messages about the funeral to all the parents and some of them posted it on Twitter in order to reach out to more people," he told The National.

“We were amazed by the huge number of people that responded to our messages and tweets. Dana was a clever and sweet student and she deserved it."

Dana was one of the top students in the 9th grade at Al Dhafra private school.

Dana was one of the top students at Al Dhafra private school. Courtesy Ehab El Sheikh
Dana was one of the top students at Al Dhafra private school. Courtesy Ehab El Sheikh

“She was calm, always helpful and one of the outstanding students in her class. She was among the first students to participate in the school’s initiatives and was kind to everyone,” said Mr El Sheikh.

One of the people who attended the funeral, Abdullah Al Ketbi, 34, an Emirati from Al Ain, said he saw the funeral announcement on Twitter and called his brother to join him.

“It was a huge funeral. People came from around the Emirate to take part and pray for her. Her parents could not attend, but we were all her family,” he said.

“The roads were blocked due to the huge number of cars. I parked my car two blocks away and walked to the mosque along with my brother. I expected to see some people there, but not huge crowds – the mosque was filled with people inside and out. It made me feel proud of my country and its people.

“May she rest in peace and may Allah heal her family.”

The family was on their way to Dubai when the accident occurred at 3pm on Friday.

“The mother felt dizzy while driving and swerved off the road. When she tried to go back on the road the vehicle overturned several times as the mother was trying to avoid a hole in the road. They were all transferred to the hospital and [the rest of the family] are now recovering well,” the teaching head said.

The funeral was held after Al Asr prayers and Dana was buried in Ahmad Bin Sorour Cemetery in Al Mutaredh, Al Ain.

Residents flock to funeral of teenager in Al Ain

Residents flock to funeral of teenager in Al Ain