Pregnant widow of Emirati killed in Turkey says driver was reckless: Emarat Al Youm

Khaleej Times

5 days ago

The widow of Emirati citizen Abdulmajid Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, who died along with his sister in a tourist bus accident in Turkey's Trabzon province last Friday, revealed that her late husband had told her in a phone call that the driver of the bus carrying the family was driving recklessly, according to local news outlet Emarat Al Youm.
She explained that she had been unable to accompany the family on their trip to Turkey because she is five months pregnant.
Naema Idris, the widow, told Emarat Al Youm: 'I still cannot comprehend how my husband's and his family's tourist trip turned into a tragedy,' adding, 'I was waiting for my husband to return safely, but God's will is absolute, and no one can avert his decree.'
She said the trip was her husband's first visit to Trabzon with his parents, brother, and sister. They left the UAE last Thursday to join a local tour company, and only one day after their arrival, the accident happened on the second day of their visit.
The widow said that after performing Friday prayers, they set out to visit an area known as Fish Lake (Balik Gölü). She never imagined that would be her husband's final destination. 'The last call between me and him was at 1pm, when he told me the driver was driving recklessly,' she said.
According to the widow citing the account of her mother-in-law, who survived the accident, the bus driver became involved in a dispute with another driver travelling slowly on the mountain road. He overtook at high speed on a dangerous slope, and shortly afterward the crash occurred.
The widow added that her mother-in-law told her the crash was sudden and unexpected, and that she found herself trapped inside the vehicle until rescue teams arrived and freed them. Naema said she travelled to Turkey immediately after learning of the accident to bring her husband's and sister-in-law's bodies home, praying for God's mercy upon them.
She also told Emarat Al Youm that she learned from the authorities in Turkey that the driver had been detained pending investigation. She confirmed that the injured, her father-in-law and her husband's younger brother, are still receiving treatment in a hospital in Trabzon. She said the child's condition is critical, and he is in intensive care, while the father requires urgent surgery.
Regarding the injured, Marwan Mohammed Al Hammadi, the son of the injured man and brother of the deceased who is currently in Turkey to be with his father and brother, told Emarat Al Youm that his father has multiple injuries, including three fractures in the elbow, forearm, and one finger, in addition to a head injury.
He said doctors are monitoring his condition closely and plan to perform surgery at the current hospital in Turkey before transferring him to the UAE once his condition stabilizes.
He added that his younger brother Ibrahim, who is in intensive care, is allowed only one family visit per day. He explained that the date of his surgery will depend on the results of ongoing medical tests, noting that he has fractures to the spine, chest, and pelvis.
According to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, the accident resulted in the deaths of two Emirati citizens and injuries to three of their relatives after a tourist bus overturned near a river alongside Lake Balik in Çaykara, Trabzon.
Initial reports published by the agency stated that the victims were Maryam Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 18, and Abdulmajid Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 32, both Emirati nationals. The injured were identified as Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 15; Samira Mohammed Abdulrahman, 53; and Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 60.
The Anadolu agency said gendarmerie and ambulance crews rushed to the scene after receiving calls from tourists and local residents. After extensive efforts, the injured who had been trapped inside were rescued, with an ambulance and a helicopter called in to transport them to a hospital.
The agency added that the injured were trapped inside the bus before being removed and taken to Trabzon State Hospital, and that investigations are still underway to determine the circumstances of the crash.
The Trabzon Governor's Office said in a statement that, while driving a tourist vehicle operated by a private company under EU management, the driver lost control of the steering wheel and plunged 50 metres into a ravine. 'Upon receiving the accident report, two public security teams and two traffic gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the scene,' the statement said. 'Of the five Emirati tourists in the vehicle, excluding the driver, a young man and his sister died at the scene, while the injured and the driver were transported to hospital by ambulance.'
Judicial and administrative investigations have begun.