“Her four children were eagerly waiting to see their mother” – Husband of the Victim(January 24, Dubai, Sri Lanka Guardian) A Sri Lankan woman committed suicide at the Dubai International Airport recently by hanging herself. Her young children, who are in shock, are now waiting anxiously for the remains of their mother to reach them.
Kala Sangarapillai, 30, who was working as a housemaid in Kuwait and was on her way to Sri Lanka via Dubai to see her family when she allegedly hanged herself in the ladies restroom at the Dubai airport three weeks back.
An official from the General Department of Forensic Science of Dubai Police said, “The Sri Lankan woman hanged herself from the ceiling of the airport’s ladies restroom and was found by the cleaners. The body of the victim is still in the police mortuary.”
He added that the body would be handed over to the authorities concerned after getting approval from the Dubai Public Prosecution on completion of all legal and administrative procedures.
The family of the woman is devastated. Thangeswari Sivalingam, aunt of Kala, told reporters over the phone from Batticolao district in Sri Lanka, “We cannot believe this has happened. Her four children were eagerly waiting to see their mother, who was supposed to spend a few days with them before she went back to work. We see no reason for her to have resorted to such an extreme step.”
According to Thangeswari, Kala, who had been abandoned by her husband, was working in Kuwait for the past three years and this was her first trip to see them. She had borrowed heavily and had gone to work as she was keen on giving her son and three daughters a good education.
“We were all so happy that we were going to see her. Now, we are waiting for the body to reach us. Only then, we would really believe she is no more.”
Consul-General of Sri Lanka Wasantha Senanayake said the consulate was in touch with Emirates airline, on whose flight Kala arrived from Kuwait, and the Dubai Airport authorities to repatriate the body.
“We have received the power of attorney from the next of kin in Sri Lanka and are now awaiting the necessary documentation to be completed to repatriate the body. Since it is a suicide case, it is still not clear who will bear the cost of repatriation,” said the Consul-General.
An Emirates spokesperson told the Media that while it was inappropriate for the airline to comment on the incident as it was currently under police jurisdiction, the airline had a dedicated special assistance team to assist affected passengers and family members in situations of accident and death.
“The team liaises with the relevant authorities and consulates to handle the necessary legal formalities. If the deceased passenger is not covered by travel and health insurance, and if his/her family does not have the funds to meet the death formalities, Emirates explores options to resolve the cost towards repatriating the body or for local burial/cremation in Dubai.”
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