Three teenagers died and another suffered serious injuries yesterday morning following an horrific accident on Budaiya Highway, near Sanabis.
Driver Mohammed Yousif Ahmed, 19, and front passenger Feras Hussain Yateem, 18, died at the scene after their car overturned and careered into a parked trailer, said the Interior Ministry.
Ali Abdulredha Al Nawkhda, 17, a backseat passenger, later died in hospital after suffering severe head and chest injuries.
Medics are fighting to save the life of Ali Hameeda, also 17, who was also sitting in a rear seat, and is being cared for in a hospital’s intensive care unit.
The car the youngsters from Sanabis were travelling in was almost sheared in half by the impact of the collision.
Last night Mohammed was buried in his birth village of Malkiya, while Feras and Ali were put to rest at the Sanabis Cemetery attended by hundreds of heartbroken family members and fellow mourners from across the country.
Friends told the GDN that the three young men were all keen table tennis players at the Sanabis Youth Centre. On the centre’s Instagram page, an announcement declared all activities suspended for three days as a mark of respect.
“The four were more than close friends, they were so much more, they were a band of brothers,” Ali’s uncle Habib Al Sanabisi told the GDN.
“They became close, despite a year or two age difference between them. The families are all friends and neighbours. Despite Mohammed’s family living in Malkiya his mum was originally from Sanabis, my sister’s family moved from Samaheej to Sanabis more than two decades ago, and the two others had established roots in the village too,” he added.
“Besides the closeness of their homes, they shared a love of sports and went to the centre together daily.
“Apparently they were on their way for breakfast and a swim in the Seef sea, but they hadn’t travelled far when the driver lost control. He had only got his driving licence two months ago. It’s a tragedy for the community, for the whole country.” He added that Ali’s parents were in deep shock and his father had to be taken home after collapsing. The deceased young man is survived by three brothers and a sister.
Feras’ father Hussain Yateem said ‘God’s will’ was bigger than his grief.
“I just lost one of my precious gems,” he told the GDN. “Coming to terms with such loss is difficult, it’s God’s will, I will have to struggle on for a very long time. My tears will not bring my son back but at least they might give me some comfort.”
Feras is also survived by three brothers and a sister.
Speaking to the GDN, area MP Mamdooh Al Saleh said Sanabis and the whole of Bahrain was in deep mourning.
“There is no fault in death, lives have been lost, and blame will not unwind the clock,” he said. “The only relief is that tragedy unites people and the whole of Sanabis and Bahrain is together in mourning for these three roses and we pray the fourth child recovers.
“I hope that the country doesn’t witness any similar tragedies. God have mercy on their families.”
Police investigations are continuing. The accident happened around 5am.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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