Oman accident: Hamra crash results in death of woman

Muscat: A horrific multi-vehicle collision in Hamra near Jabal Shams resulted in the death of a mother and injured two others.

The accident occurred after the victim’s family was coming down from Jabal Shams, where they spent their weekend. The victim’s two children were also injured in the crash. Hamra is about an hour and 15 minutes drive from the mountain.

An official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP), told the Times of Oman: “An accident occurred among three vehicles in the Wilayat of Hamra on Saturday. The accident resulted in the death of one person, a woman, while two others sustained severe injuries.”

According to the official, the woman died on the spot due to the impact of the collision.

The deceased has been identified by the Royal Oman Police as Nabrees Qandeel, and is a Palestinian national.

She is the mother of young Oman-based go kart racer Shonal Kunimal, who is eight-year-old, and his younger sister Sholeen, who is between four and five years of age. Their father Shojai was also in the car at the time of the accident, which took place on Saturday, 5 October.

The two children and the father were admitted to Nizwa hospital, where their injuries were treated by doctors from the emergency department. While they were there, a close friend of the family travelled from Muscat to see them. She kept the Times of Oman apprised of the family’s current state.

“Shonal has a fracture in his right hand and actually fell on the road, so has suffered some injuries to his face, and his eyes are bloodshot,” said the friend. “Qandeel’s daughter has a collarbone fracture, and is in obvious pain and discomfort. They will recover physically in a month or two. The father seems okay physically but is emotionally distraught and can’t believe he lost his spouse.”

The friend, who knew the Kunimal family well, added that Nabrees was a pillar of the community, and her spirit and positive energy affected all those she interacted with, always imparting fond memories to those she met.

“She had gone with her family to Jabal Shams, where they happened to meet an Omani family whose child was crying,” recalled this friend. “Nabrees took the baby from the family to calm it down, and within five minutes, the baby stopped crying. When she handed the baby back to its mother, the Omani lady said to her ‘may you be blessed.’ They were coming down the mountain from Jabal Shams when this accident happened.

“She was such a cheerleader to everyone in the community, as a sister, as a mother, as a spouse, as a friend, as a professional.” she added. “The family had put immense emotional and financial efforts into seeing Shonal succeed at go-karting. In the meantime, Nabrees – who is a doctor – had completed her training, finished her exams and was expected to start working at a clinic in Oman pretty soon. Then, this happened.”

“She was truly a wonderful person,” the friend said. “The ability to move across nationalities and still be able to connect and raise children is amazing. She connected with all of us.”