By Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Thousands of Indians from various parts of the Eastern Province mourned the tragic death of three youth who died in a car crash on Thursday morning. A large number of people, including relatives and friends, attended the funeral prayer and burial held on Friday afternoon.

Muhammad Shafeeq, Ansif, and Sanad, who hailed from the southern Indian state of Kerala, were involved in a car accident while they were returning after attending the National Day celebrations held in Al-Khobar. All of them aged 22.

Their car lost control and turned upside down and hit some other cars near Dhahran while taking to a parallel road from the Dammam-Al-Khobar Highway. All of them died on the spot and their car was completely mangled.

The young men, who were born and brought up in Dammam, united in both life and death. They were childhood friends ever since their schooling at International Indian School, Dammam, from kindergarten onwards. They were laid to rest in graves close to each other in Dammam cemetery.

Social workers, led by Nas Vakkam, Jaafar Kondotty, and Shaji Wayanad, swung into action to complete all the procedures to facilitate their burial soon after the accident. A large number of people gathered at the premises of Dammam Medical Complex morgue where the bodies were kept and later at Dammam cemetery to pay last respects at around 2 p.m. on Friday.

It was heart-rending scenes when their family members and close friends bid adieu to the young men who were the most loved trio among the expatriate community. After education, Shafeeq who hailed from the Malappuram district was working along with his father Saidalavi Haji in a commercial establishment.

Ansif, from the Wayanad district, was pursuing his graduation in Bahrain while Sanad from Kozhikode was planning to continue higher studies after the lifting of the travel restrictions imposed following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.