The Sri Lankan embassy in Qatar has released the names of two men killed in Wednesday’s accident on the Ras Abu Abboud Bridge near the Doha International Airport arrivals terminal.
They are Abdul Hameed Mohamed Faizan, 33, who was driving one of the minibuses involved in the crash, and M N Prasanna Ruwan, 27, an employee of the Marriott, the Peninsula reports:
Ruwan, from Anuradhapura district in Sri Lanka, was the only breadwinner of his family and had come to Qatar to work for Marriott Doha recently. His mother has given an affidavit to the foreign ministry in Sri Lanka permitting his body to be sent home.
Faizan hailed from Kurunegala district in Sri Lanka. He was married and had a nine-year-old daughter. He came to Doha three years ago and worked as a driver with a company.
Qatar Tribune reports that four of the six Sri Lankans admitted to the hospital have been discharged. The health of the other accident victims remain unclear.
According to passersby, the accident, with took place Wednesday afternoon, involved two minibuses and an SUV. As police diverted traffic away from the Corniche, eyewitnesses said they saw blood, smoke and glass being cleaned up.
Driving in Qatar has become an increasingly harrowing experience, as the population swells and the number of accidents rises. By the end of 2012, some 900,000 vehicles navigated Qatar’s roads – 200,000 more cars than in 2010.
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Credit: Photo of totaled minibus by Yasser Khan