Female victim was due to return home on day of accident, wished to move business to Malta
Relatives say they will seek justice ‘till the end’ She was full of joy, love and desire to travel
The 37-year-old woman who was killed in Monday’s tragic accident in Zurrieq was due to fly back to her home in Spain on the same day, her relatives said yesterday.
In a letter sent to media houses yesterday, the relatives of Elisaveta Almada said they would seek justice for her death “death till the end.”
Avdala, a Bulgarian who lived in Spain, died instantly when the double-decker she was on crashed into a tree in Zurrieq.
Another man, Belgian national Koen De Vrieze, 62, also died in the accident.
The letter was sent by Elisaveta’s cousin, Petia Rousseva.
“On my behalf and on the behalf of all her friends and relatives I would like to drop to you a few lines on her life and personality as we do consider that neither her, nor her absurd death should be forgotten.
“Eli was larger than life, always full of joy, facing with her big smile even the most difficult situations in life. The love she had for everyone around her was enormous, like her desire to explore the world. She never stopped to learn, travel and improve herself.
“Eli was an entrepreneur, life coach and a teacher in Barcelona, where she had been living in the past 17 years of her life. A person full of energy and with an enormous circle of friends and relatives all over the world. Her death has left hundreds of people devastated. She was a true citizen of the world, an inspiration for women, showing what it meant to be strong and independent.
“She was very well known in her professional circle in Barcelona since she had taught English to hundreds of people. She had coached hundreds of people on how to tackle their life problems. Now more than ever we need her knowledge in order to deal with her loss.
“What we feel is profound sorrow and anger. Sorrow and anger because such a young and energetic life was brutally taken away from us. We want to find out exactly what happened and we will seek justice for her death till the end.
“We will do this because we know that if she were alive she would have done the same. We also want to prevent other innocent deaths through carelessness or disregard for safety. We do not consider reliable suggestions that appeared in the media that the storm damaged the tree the night before.”
They said this was the last bus trip on that route for the day, which means that the bus had driven through the spot more than once on the day, without incident.
“Photos suggest that the collision was with one of the main trunks of the tree and was quite strong, but we will first wait what the official investigation will tell us.
“Eli was supposed to travel back to Spain the same day when incident happened. She was literally spending her last hours before travelling exploring the southern part of the island. She liked Malta so much that she even wanted to move her business there to enjoy the island life and the sea. Unfortunately, none of this will ever happen and we relatives and friends remain devastated, trying to be strong and to cope with the situation in the way she always taught us - with smile and positive energy.”
Meanwhile it also emerged yesterday that one of the people seriously injured in the double-decker crash is a coach at an Aberdeen youth football team.
Middlefield Wasps said under-19s coach Simon Morrison was seriously injured in the crash.
Club president Nick Runcie said in a statement: “We wish Simon a speedy recovery from his injuries and wish all other parties affected our thoughts.
“Club officials have been in constant contact with Simon’s family and we are here to offer any support that we can to Simon and his family through these very tough times.”
According to The Sun, Morrison, 43, suffered serious head injuries, a broken arm and eye damage but was saved by quickthinking niece Kelsey Henderson.
His brother-in-law Michael Henderson, 43, suffered a cracked rib, head injuries and hearing loss and his 39-year-old wife Suzie broke a wrist and two fingers. Five people are still in hospital, the health ministry confirmed yesterday. Three people – two adults and one child – are still in critical condition. Another two people – one adult and one child – are still recovering in the surgical wards.
The company that operates the bus tours, City Sightseeing, told The Malta Independent it cannot comment at this point in time as it has orders not to give statements by the police and the courts. The incident is subject to a magisterial inquiry.