Oil and Gas News from OilGasDaily.Com  
OIL AND GAS
No last goodbye for Gulf migrant workers lost to pandemic
by Staff Writers
Dubai UAE (AFP) Apr 24, 2020

Despite halting commercial flights to stop the spread of the pandemic, governments in the region have been trying to lay on repatriation flights for foreign workers who are now out of a job as the economy grinds to a halt. But dealing with victims' bodies is another challenge, as the presence of the contagious disease means that burial or cremation has to take place immediately.

The body of the Indian migrant who died from coronavirus far from home was kept inside the ambulance in front of the crematorium in case a friend came by for a last goodbye.

But nearly an hour later no one had appeared, and the workers in protective suits had to carry out their grim task.

In silence, the four men carefully moved the body, wrapped in a white plastic bag, to a furnace where it was reduced to ashes that were placed in a silver box.

Millions of foreigners work in the United Arab Emirates and across the other wealthy Gulf nations, providing the backbone of the workforce in hospitals and banks, as well as on construction sites and in factories.

Many have spent decades toiling to provide for their families, with the hope of returning one day to open a business or build a house.

But a death from coronavirus means that the body cannot be sent home, and that it has to be cremated or buried in the country where the person dies.

"The whole world is changing. Nobody comes anymore, nobody touches, nobody says goodbye," said Ishwar Kumar, a manager of the Hindu Cremation Ground located in a desert area south of Dubai.

Before coronavirus "people would come here, around 200 to 250, to grieve and bring flowers. Now they die alone," he told AFP.

The majority of the 166 deaths and 26,600 registered cases in Gulf countries so far have been foreigners, according to health ministries, most of them from Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.

- One thing in common -
A few hours before the cremation of the Indian man - aged in his 50s and a partner at a tourist company in Dubai - the body of another victim, a 40-year-old Filipino beautician, was also cremated at the facility.

Both had one thing in common on their death certificates - "covid pneumonia" as the cause of death.

The silver boxes, bought from a hypermarket, are handed over to the next of kin if they are in Dubai, or to the embassy.

"They work as labourers so most of them don't have family members. Sometimes their work colleagues come," said Suresh Galani, another manager at the facility.

Despite halting commercial flights to stop the spread of the pandemic, governments in the region have been trying to lay on repatriation flights for foreign workers who are now out of a job as the economy grinds to a halt.

But dealing with victims' bodies is another challenge, as the presence of the contagious disease means that burial or cremation has to take place immediately.

- 'Part of heaven' -
In Saudi Arabia, according to a source in the health ministry who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, "until now all the families are asking to bury the bodies inside Saudi because they prefer so."

Among them was Wazir Moahmed Saleh, a 57-year-old Afghan who worked and lived in the Muslim holy city of Medina since the 1980s after he fled his country during the war with the former Soviet Union.

The stationery shop owner died of coronavirus last week.

He had family in the holy city where the prophet's grave is located but had to be buried with only four people in attendance - all his sons.

His nephew Amed Khan, a sales agent born in the kingdom, could only look at photos and videos of his uncle's burial on a smartphone.

"His dream was to be buried in Medina, and his dream came true," he told AFP.

"There isn't a person who dies in Medina and would want to be buried elsewhere. This land is known to be part of heaven."

At the Hindu cremation facility in Dubai, not all coronavirus-related deaths have the name of the virus on their certificates.

Vijay, an Indian national, said his 45-year-old brother Ram died of a heart attack after he sank into a severe depression during a 14-day quarantine following a direct contact with someone who had the virus.

Standing near the body in the cremation room, under a white ceiling fan, four of his colleagues spread flowers on the body before it was reduced to ashes.

"Ram tested negative after he stayed in a room for two weeks. He was mentally hurt and he got depressed because he stayed alone," Vijay explained.

The laundry worker and father of three died in an ambulance while he was being taken to hospital after suffering severe chest pain.

"We are going back tomorrow to collect the ashes. We will send them home once the flights are back," his brother said.


Related Links
Oil and Gas News
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


OIL AND GAS
US oil bounces after crash but stocks suffer big losses
Hong Kong (AFP) April 21, 2020
US crude prices bounced Tuesday but were unable to keep in positive territory, a day after crashing below $0 for the first time owing to crippled demand and a storage glut, while the commodity rout sent equities sharply lower. Investors have also been spooked by US reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had undergone cardiovascular surgery earlier this month and was in "grave danger". West Texas Intermediate for May delivery rose to $1.10 a barrel in early trade after diving to an unpreced ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

OIL AND GAS
Under pressure: New bioinspired material can 'shapeshift' to external forces

Valorizing wastewater can improve commercial viability of biomass oil production

Ethanol production plummets as people drive less during pandemic

Making biofuels cheaper by putting plants to work

OIL AND GAS
Scientists have devised method for gentle laser processing of perovskites at nanoscale

Windows will soon generate electricity, following solar cell breakthrough

Physicists develop approach to increase performance of solar energy

New discovery settles long-standing debate about photovoltaic materials

OIL AND GAS
Supercomputing future wind power rise

Wind energy expansion would have $27 billion economic impact

Opportunity blows for offshore wind in China

Alphabet cuts cord on power-generating kite business

OIL AND GAS
Framatome awarded to modernize research reactor at Technical University of Munich

Supercomputers and Archimedes' law enable calculating nanobubble diffusion in nuclear fuel

Framatome signs long-term support contract for Taishan EPR operations

Framatome to deliver reactor protection system to Kursk Nuclear Power Plant II in Russia

OIL AND GAS
US attacks China climate record on Earth Day

Fight climate change like coronavirus: UN

2019 was Europe's hottest year ever: EU

Pandemic cuts both ways for climate change

OIL AND GAS
Could shrinking a key component help make autonomous cars affordable?

Renault shifts to all-electric cars for China

VW loses 'damning' dieselgate class lawsuit in UK

System trains driverless cars in simulation before they hit the road

OIL AND GAS
US zeroes in on shadowy Lebanese playmaker in Iraq

From Baghdad's mosques, calls to pray echo -- but don't quite match

Iraq suspends Reuters news agency over COVID-19 story

Iraq's new PM-elect Kadhemi, spy chief with friends on all sides

OIL AND GAS
Women in virus-hit Iran tech sector fight to keep hard-won jobs

NKorea flouts sanctions through China shipping: UN report

Pentagon Could Award Contract for Next Generation of ICBMs Before September

Pentagon accuses Iran Navy of 'dangerous' harassment in Gulf









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.