from our special correspondent (MB)
Pics courtesy: James Wilson Maben
Udupi, Oct 20: The house of one of the most low-profile, yet the most friendly and helpful, persons of the community, located at Babbaryagujji, Korangrapady on the southern outskirts of the temple city now bears a crestfallen and melancholy atmosphere.
Stanley Prabhakar Suchita
The light of the house is gone. Stanley Prabhakar Suchita (47), working as a trailer driver with a private firm in Dubai, died in a pile-up of heavy trailers in a Saudi town situated about 150 kms inside the Kingdom adjacent to the UAE border, on Wednesday, October 18. The name of the spot of the mishap is reported to be Ufuf.
He was driving a trailer loaded with commodities to be taken to Kuwait. He had another friend, one D'Souza hailing from Mangalore, driving another trailer immediately behind his, who also is said to have died in the same pile-up.
Stanley was the very first in the line. With the tyre of a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction having burst, it lost control and reportely hit the trailer driven by him. With the impact his trailer is said to have caught fire.
Unofficial reports said about 7 or eight persons have died in the tragic mishap. No details are availabe about the other victims, including the other Mangalorean. Their bodies have been kept in the King Fahad Hospital at Ufuf.
Sheril, Stanley, Joyce and Sachin, during happy times
Born of Matthew ('Mathaya") Suchita couple, Stanley is surived by wife Joyce, son Sachin working in Dubai, and daughter Sheril studying in the final year BBM at Udupi.
He had first gone to work with Al Barak firm in Saudi Arabia in 1989. In 2000, he moved to Dubai and had been working there ever since. Taking an assorted stock of commodities to Kuwait, Oman and other countries was a common routine for him.
He is known here as a very helpful, popular and friendly person, says James Wilson Maben, whose wife Florence's elder sister Joyce is Stanley's wife. The Mabens stay in a house very close to the Suchitas.
The pastor of the Korangrapady church is assisting the family in whatever way possible.
Wilson Maben further says that Stanley had helped many friends and acquaintances to get jobs in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. All of them will bitterly mourn the loss of the their dear benefactor.
Informed sources said since it was the month of Ramadan with limited working hours in the Gulf, having Stanley's body repatriated home may take many days. Added to this hurdle is a possible legal and technical hassle since he, an expatriate resident of the UAE, has died abroad while being in transit. This might mean a lot of additional paperwork to be taken care of.
(Report coordinated by Richie Lasrado)