By Bassma Al Jandaly | Gulf News
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE – The body of a 19-year-old Ethiopian woman which was kept at the morgue for the past two months, finally went home on Monday with the help of Gulf News readers.
The body is of Alemitu Girma Hailu, the Ethiopian woman who was kept at the morgue since September 10. The body went on Ethiopian Airlines early at 4.30am.
Readers helped in repatriating the body because the sponsor and a recruitment agency were pointing fingers at each other and refused to pay the expenses of repatriating the body the cost of which was not more than Dh5,000.
One reader approached the Ras Al Khaimah Naturalisation and Residency Department (RNRD) to finalise the process of cancelling the woman’s visa and other paper work.
The body was earlier sent to Al Maktoum Hospital on Monday for embalming.
Readers said RNRD officials and Ras Al Khaimah police donated large amounts of money to the family of the housemaid.
A reader said the sponsor had done nothing except just send her passport to the RNRD with his driver.
Lt Ali Bahlool at the domestic helper dispute section at RNRD, finalised the documents to cancel a visa. Dr Lt Ali Mohammad Al Kubalti, consultant of forensic medicine at Ras Al Khaimah police, helped in finalising all documents to repatriate the body.
Alemintu’s family in Ethiopia, said they were devastated over the death of their elder daughter.
“We are a poor family and we have sent our daughter to work in the UAE to help support us in our harsh life,” her father told Gulf News on the phone.
He said his wife, brothers and sisters cried day and night for the past two months.
Alemintu came to work for a family in Ras Al Khaimah, but fell ill after a few days of her arrival. She worked only for two weeks with an Arab family.