The father of the three doctors who lost their lives in a car accident in the Al-Jalbana canal in Ismailia, Egypt, revealed heartbreaking details about the tragic incident. Ahmad Mohamed Othman, the father of the three doctors, stated, "I consider my children as martyrs. Ayaa obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Delta University with honors, and we were waiting for her appointment as a teaching assistant while studying for a diploma in medical analysis at the Faculty of Science. Mahmoud is studying for his Bachelor’s in Pharmacy at Sinai University, and Alaa is in her second year of Dentistry at the same university."
He added that his eldest daughter, Ayaa, had gone to Sinai University to spend two days with her siblings and was supposed to return with them. On the day of the accident, Wednesday, she called Mahmoud, saying, "Dad, we’re going to have breakfast and then come back." His son had a Hyundai car and was familiar with the route, having traveled it for years. On the return journey, he was accompanied by a student friend named Mahmoud Al-Kahlawy. Their car overturned into the canal near Ismailia, while their fourth friend managed to swim to safety, but Othman considered his three children as martyrs.
He explained that he had worked as an accountant in one of the Arab countries for 25 years and returned to settle in his hometown in 2018. He has six children: the three victims of the accident, a son named Amr in the second year of high school, and two younger daughters, according to the Egyptian newspaper Youm7.
Ahmad Othman noted that his eldest daughter, Alaa, was buried on the same day that her Fatiha was supposed to be recited. The newspaper Al-Watan reported Othman saying, "We were supposed to discuss all the details and agreed to have breakfast together with their family, respectable people. Her fiancé was a very respectable young man who finished his studies at the Faculty of Dentistry and was going to ask for her hand from her grandfather because he is our elder; we were going to recite the Fatiha and arrange everything."
"May God compensate me for what is to come," he continued: "The loss is immense, and we can only say, 'Indeed, to God we belong and to Him we shall return.' Everyone I know has supported me in this tragedy and is constantly in touch with me. May God compensate me for what is to come; I have three other children: Amr in the first year of high school, a sister studying in the third grade, and a three-year-old sister."
Sinai University expressed its condolences via its official Facebook page, stating, "We lost three siblings, including two students from the Faculty of Dentistry, as a result of a car accident in the past hours." The students are "Mahmoud Ahmad Othman," and his siblings "Alaa Ahmad Othman," studying Dentistry, and "Ayaa Ahmad Othman," who is a teaching assistant in Pharmacy. The university extended its heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the family of the three students.
