‘Take it down’: families of victims call for removal of steel barrier

Survivors and relatives of those killed in last month’s bus crash in Dubai are calling on the authorities to remove the height-restriction barrier that the coach ploughed into.

Families of the 17 people who died when the Omani bus hit the overhead barrier near the Al Rashidiya exit just off Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road on June 6 said removing the solid-steel sign could prevent future accidents.

Zidan Firoz Pathan, a teenage survivor, still remembers the terrifying sound of the crash and seeing the bodies of his parents Firoz Khan and Reshma Pathan.

“I keep worrying about the barrier on that road,” he said.

“The seven years’ punishment for the driver means nothing to me. But I wish the Dubai government would remove the barriers from all of Dubai. Yes, it was the driver’s fault but the barrier should be made of wood or other lighter material.”

On Thursday, a Dubai court sentenced the driver, 53, to seven years in jail and ordered him to pay over Dh3.4 million in fines and compensation.

The impact was so severe that the barrier sliced through the left-hand side of the 30-seater bus.

“That barrier is too heavy and should be taken down. In fact, all such barriers in Dubai should be removed,” said Nahimshad Chonokadavath, a Dubai resident who lost his uncle Ummer Chonokadavath and cousin Nabil Ummer in the crash.

“A rubberised material could be used that would damage or hit the windscreen but not take 17 lives,” said Amal Dev, a relative of Deepa Kumar, a Dubai resident who died in the crash.

Mr Kumar’s wife Athira and their four-year-old daughter, Amulya, survived.

The driver’s lawyer claimed the authorities placed the barrier incorrectly and told judges it should not have been made of solid steel, as per international and GCC standards.

However, a report submitted to the court showed that the safety measures on the Dubai road complied with international guidelines.