Rabia Qadir Baig and her three daughters, Maryam, 10, Sarah, 6, and Fatima, 3, were on their way to Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport for a flight to Washington, D.C., when the accident occurred, somewhere near Qatif.

The Toyota Fortuner was being driven by Rabia’s husband, Mirza Qadir Baig, who received serious head injuries. Engineer Qadir Baig, an employee of Bechtel in Jubail, is being treated at Qatif General Hospital. His two elder daughters were taken to Dammam Central Hospital and are reportedly in stable condition. They were shifted to the Royal Commission Hospital in Jubail on Sunday.

The youngest child Fatima is in a critical condition and battling for life at the hospital in Qatif.

According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle flipped over on the highway for no explained reason. “There was absolutely no collision, nothing,” said one eyewitness. “The sturdy and robust vehicle overturned and then rolled over four times.”

The young woman died on the spot. Highway patrol and ambulances rushed to the scene and transported the dead and the injured to nearby hospitals. The husband is unaware of his wife’s death. He has not been told about it so far. “One reason we requested the media not to report the accident was to keep the story away from her husband,” said Alkhobar-based Rizwan Ahmad, a close friend of the family.

Rabia Qadir Baig was a doctor by education and had moved with her husband to Jubail only two years ago. She is the daughter of well-known and longtime Pakistani engineer in the Eastern Province, Tariq Said.

“The accident has cast a pall of gloom over the Pakistani community. The community members were busy in these last two days helping out the family in their hour of need,” said Ahmad. “It was painful consoling Rabia’s inconsolable father.”

Eastern Province traffic police conducted a preliminary investigation but have not released any report as yet. However, according to those who are familiar with the various diversions on the highway, the accident may have been caused in large part by the lack of proper signs and retroreflective safety devices called the cat’s eyes.

“Moreover, part of the highway near Qatif has been chipped off for re-layering, and there are a series of sharp diversions when you approach the exit to airport from Jubail … all these may well have contributed to the tragic accident,” said a close acquaintance of the family.

Traffic officials repeatedly advise motorists to exercise caution while on the road through local newspapers and broadcast outlets. “Better late than sorry should be the dictum for all,” the Eastern Province traffic police chief was quoted as saying recently.