Four people of a family lost their lives when the driver lost control of the car and hit another vehicle on Muscat-Salalah route on Tuesday night. Two people of the second car also died in the head-on-collision. The vehicles were fully charred in the accident.
The accident occurred in Maqshan, some 200 kilometres away from Thamrait.
Sources further said that the victims including a girl and a woman hailed from Mumbai.
Bodies are kept in Thamrait hospital and preparations are on to repatriate the mortal remains to India, according to the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
The deceased based in Muscat have been identified as Shahid ibrahim Saiyad, a food service supervisor with Arabian Restaurant, wife Tasnim Shahid Saiyad, son Zeeshan Ali Zyed and daughter Mehrin Shahid Saiyad. The victims of second car are yet to be identified.
Speaking to the Observer from Vadodara, Dr Amar Shrivastava, Principal of Indian School Darsait (ISD) where Mehrin is a Class 12 student, said that it was indeed a tragic news that she, along with three other members of her family, lost their lives.
"We have lost a bright student who was preparing for compartment test in July and we deeply mourn the loss," Dr Shrivastava said. He remembered her joining the school way back in 2019 in Class 9th.
The ROP said that motorists should observe caution and be vigilant while driving on long routes especially during the holidays when Eid days coincide with the khareef season in Dhofar Governorate.
"During the khareef season, the roads and other pathways get wet due to drizzles and visibility dips to nearly zero. Motorists need to be extra alert while driving to or from the governorate," an official said.
The accident happened nearly two months after the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) successfully completed the installation of cylindrical safety barriers at the Aqbat Hamrir on the Thamrait – Salalah road, according to the sources.
With the beginning of the khareef season, Dhofar Governorate has been receiving a large number of visitors from the GCC as well as from far east and Europe. Visitors need to abide by the safety and security regulations stipulated by the authorities during their stay in Salalah.
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