Indian wins Rs 4 lakhs in UAE lottery, vows to help Odisha train tragedy victims

Dubai, June 12:  A 28-year-old Indian expat in Abu Dhabi, who recently won Dh 20,000 (Rs 4,48,885) in a lottery, has pledged to donate an amount from his winnings to the victims of the dreadful train accident in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2 that claimed 288 lives.

Sahajan Mohammad, a native of Jaspur town in Odisha, works as a chef at a hotel in Abu Dhabi and earns around Dh2,000 a month, the Khaleej Times reported.

Mohammad, who has been trying his luck at various raffle draws for years, played Dream Island's scratch card game and won the prize on June 7.

Talking about the deadly three-train collision, Mohammad told Khaleej Times that he will be helping people from his village who were injured in the tragedy.

"There are a few people from my locality who have been injured in this accident. I will be helping those who are affected in my village first," he said.

The June 2 accident also injured more than 1,000 people, making it India's worst rail crash in two decades.

According to media reports, 82 bodies are yet to be identified with claimants waiting for DNA test reports.