Billionaire of Indian origin, Dr. Shamsher Vayalil, announced a humanitarian support package worth one million dirhams for families affected by the recent Emirates Road crash that killed seven workers and injured nine others.Dr. Vayalil is a radiologist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holding, a leading healthcare group in the Middle East, with hospitals and medical centers across the UAE and the region.The initiative will provide financial assistance to the families of the seven workers who lost their lives, as well as the nine others who were injured in the accident.Under the program, the families of the seven deceased victims will receive an amount of 100,000 dirhams each, bringing the total allocations for the bereaved families to 700,000 dirhams.
An additional amount of 180,000 dirhams was allocated to support the medical treatment and recovery of the nine injured survivors.The package also includes 70,000 dirhams to help cover travel and emergency accommodation costs for relatives and 50,000 dirhams to support the education of children from affected families.This assistance comes in the wake of one of the most serious worker transport accidents in the UAE in recent months. The accident occurred when a minibus carrying employees of a Dubai-based company collided with the back of a truck that stopped on the Emirates Road due to a mechanical failure.
Among the victims were workers from India and Sri Lanka. Authorities said six of the dead were Indian nationals, including three from Uttar Pradesh and three from Telangana, while one victim was from Sri Lanka, Khaleej Times reported.Some of the injured workers have since been released from hospital, while others remain under medical care.Dr. Vayalil said the support program aims to provide immediate relief to families dealing with the consequences of the tragedy.“These are workers who came to the UAE with hopes, responsibilities and dreams for their loved ones,” he said. “No financial support can replace lives lost, but we hope this assistance will ease some of the burden on grieving families and help those injured as they recover.”He added that special attention will be paid to families with young children who have lost their primary source of income.According to Dr. Vayalil, assistance will be provided regardless of nationality. While coordination is being made with the Indian Consulate in Dubai regarding the affected Indian families, support will be extended to all those affected by the incident.Dubai Police confirmed earlier that investigations into the cause of the accident are still ongoing.The relief package aims to provide short-term financial support while helping affected families manage long-term challenges, especially those related to child care and education.