A Freeport couple, who had been married for 25 years, died hours apart after the vehicle in which they were travelling crashed into an embankment on the north-bound lane of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway on Wednesday evening. Warzir Ali-Rajah, 52, and his wife, Rajwatee Hafeeza Ali-Rajah, 42, died while receiving emergency treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital. Police said the accident occurred as the couple was returning home from the San Fernando General Hospital where Warzir, an employee of Hasa Transport Services, had undergone cancer treatment.
They were travelling in a vehicle driven by their 20-year-old nephew, Zameer Ali, when, near the Corinth overpass, Ali lost control of his Kia Ceres car. The car flipped three times before slamming into the embankment. All three were taken to the hospital where at 12 pm Warzir succumbed to his injuries. His wife died while undergoing emergency surgery. Ali was released from the hospital on Wednesday night.
Yesterday relatives of the couple were waiting outside the mortuary of the San Fernando General Hospital for the transfer of the bodies to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, where autopsies were due to be conducted.
They included Warzir's brother, Shazard Ali, and brother-in-law Nazim Mirza. They said the couple's five children were coping with the double tragedy through their faith and belief in God. Mirza said the family wanted to thank the doctors and other medical staff at the hospital who tried valiantly to save the couple's lives. Mirza said approximately 15 doctors attended to them. He said following the autopsy, a funeral service was due to take place at the couple's home with burial at the Calcutta cemetery under Muslim rites.
