Ahmad Abdi learnt he had lost his wife, daughter, aunt and two cousins in an accident.

A family member of five Somalians who died in an accident, initially thought they had been hijacked when he received a call from the car tracking company.

Instead, the almost unthinkable happened. Ahmad Abdi learnt he had lost his wife, daughter, aunt and two cousins in an accident that occurred near Ngodwana last Thursday.

He last spoke to his family when they left Mbombela to fetch him in Gauteng. The tracking company called him a short while later to say they were encountering a problem with his vehicle tracker.

“When I tried to call them, my daughter’s phone was ringing but was not answered. I thought maybe they were hijacked and tried to call some family and friends back in Mbombela. I hoped to find them alive, only to be told they were involved in an incident in which they all died. I couldn’t believe it until I read the article on the Lowvelder website,” Abdi said.

“Inside the car were my wife, 12-year-old daughter, aunt and two cousins. According to my knowledge, the car was in good condition. I am still waiting for the police to conclude their investigation of what might have caused the accident – maybe that will bring me closure,” he said.

The five victims’ ashes were buried in the Nelspruit Cemetery according to their religion and cultural rites. The car is still in possession of the police while the investigation is ongoing.

Although the exact cause is not known, it is believed that their VW Polo sedan crashed into the side of an articulated truck travelling in the same direction, and overturned. “It is still very difficult to believe that I have lost my family. But I believe that God’s time is always the best,” he said.

Read original story on lowvelder.co.za