Oman accident: Ali Al Habsi’s relatives die in Saudi car crash

Muscat: Three Omani women, all related to national goalkeeping legend Ali Al Habsi, died in a road accident while travelling from Mecca to Medina in Saudi Arabia on Monday night.
“My aunt, uncle’s wife and cousin’s wife died in a car accident in Saudi Arabia,” said a brother of Al Habsi. “They finished their umrah in Mecca and they were headed to Medina when they met with a car accident at around a quarter to eight, Saudi time.
“Three are dead, but another three are injured. We appreciate the assistance of the Saudi Arabian authorities and they were very quick in getting to the scene of the accident and taking them to hospital,” he added.
“We also want to thank the Omani and Saudi governments because the moment they knew they were related to Al Habsi, they offered to help in any way possible,” he said.
Al Habsi, who plays for Reading FC in the UK and captains the Oman national team, tweeted that his relatives had died “inside the world’s best places” – referring to Mecca and Medina and the fact that his family had been on pilgrimage.
He wrote:
"My dear family, I will not condole you, but I am congratulating you on the happy ending of our mums and sisters inside the world's best places, Mecca and Medina, and their final resting place, Al Baqei."
A second tweet reads: "My brothers and sisters who mourned: Loss of loved ones and being apart from them is painful, nothing relieves pain but people like you who have pure hearts and pure feelings.”