Bruce Liu, 71, Stella Liu, 68, their son Adrian Liu, 44, and his wife Fontaine Chan-Liu, 39 were killed in a car crash in Abu Dhabi last month. The Liu family were on holiday in the UAE and were being driven from their Dubai hotel to Abu Dhabi by a local guide. When they reached the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, about 13 kilometres from the city, a young man driving a Sports Pickup Truck "at high speed" drove on the other side of the road and crashed into the Lius' car, Gregory Wee, legal representative for Mrs Lui, said. The family of five, the guide and a passenger in the oncoming car were all killed. "The driver of the other car ... has survived," Mr Wee said.

It is believed there was a sandstorm in the area on the day of the accident. Mr Wee said he had a copy of the police report "unofficially" translated from Arabic to English but was not authorised to release the original document to Fairfax Media. He said the report did not "set out the particulars of the accident in detail, or whether any of the persons involved were significant". Unusually, the accident has not been reported in local media, which often focuses on tragedies that occur on the roads and in events unfolding in courts. Local sources told Fairfax Media that the driver may have been a powerful and influential businessman or Emirati, who may be able to suppress the news.

The crash is being investigated by UAE authorities. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Abu Dhabi Police would not confirm whether the driver of the oncoming car had been charged. "In addition to finding out what really happened and ensuring the prosecution of anyone at fault by the authorities, I understand that under sharia law here is 'blood money' payable to families of victims, which our client would seek to recover," Mr Wee said. "Lawyers in the UAE will be briefed to investigate and litigate." Fairfax Media has requested a copy of the crash report from the Abu Dhabi Police security media department.

A spokesman for Abu Dhabi Police would not comment on the case. "The Abu Dhabi Police did not make the report available," he There may also be legal reasons for the report not being released, he said. A member of the Abu Dhabi Police capital island accidents department, said the car crash occurred on an "Abu Dhabi external highway". However, he was unable to confirm specific details as the crash occurred in a region outside of his responsibilities and he was unable to access the written report. Mrs Lui tried to confirm with the Australian embassy and local authorities whether the driver had been prosecuted, Mr Wee said.

"[The process] wasn't very helpful," he said. "It is all very suspicious and my client hasn't been able to access any information." Mr Wee said that Mrs Lui has had some difficulty in accessing legal assistance in Abu Dhabi but that lawyers "who have undertaken the case will make sure [the driver] does get prosecuted" and be involved in "any civil case for wrongful death". Fairfax Media understands UAE authorities informed DFAT, which immediately advised NSW Police to contact Mrs Lui. "It's a tragedy," Mr Wee said. "The young lady has lost her family in one fell swoop. She has the support of her husband and two young children but, understandably, her life has been turned around and she's trying to pick up the pieces and does ask that her privacy be respected."

Mrs Lui declined to be interviewed before she flew to Hong Kong on Saturday to deal with "various issues arising from their family members' deaths," Mr Wee said. The bodies of the family members have been returned to Sydney. Adrian Liu's former employer, global financial company Towers Watson, said this had been a tragic and sad time for the company. "As you may appreciate, the loss is extremely hard to bear, and everyone who knew Adrian and his family are in deep mourning and pain," a spokeswoman from the company's Hong Kong branch, said. A neighbour of Bruce and Stella Liu said the couple were well travelled.

"We're like sisters," said Mimma Carabitti, who has lived next door to the Lius for more than 20 years. "[Stella called] me just before she left for overseas." A spokesman for DFAT said: "Consular officials are providing the family with all appropriate consular assistance to deal with this tragedy."