Saki, the dog belonging to Bryan and Jane Ottey, who died in a tragic car crash in Gozo on Sunday, survived the tragedy thanks to a specially adapted safety belt it was wearing, The Daily Express has reported.

The beloved pet was sitting on the back seat and escaped with just a few cuts and bruises.

Mrs Ottey's cousin Christine Stewart-Jones, 72, told the British newspaper: "Saki was extremely important to them and they would be so pleased that he survived, he was the centre of their world."

The dog was cared for by the Animal Welfare Department, which confirmed to TVM that Saki has already been adopted by a family he was familiar with, and which also owns his brother. The AWD has dubbed Saki the 'miracle dog,' the national broadcaster reported.

The accident occurred on 20 March at 11pm on Rabat Road in Nadur when Bryan, 68, and Jane, 73, Ottey's Suzuki collided with a Peugeot Partner driven by a 25year-old from Qala.

Mrs Stewart Jones also led the tributes for the couple telling The Daily Express that "They were a very close couple who did a lot of things together and they were extremely happy to have retired to Gozo."

The media house also reported that the couple had moved to Malta from Hinckley in Leicestershire ten years ago.

"They had been there for ten years and they planned to spend the rest of their lives there" Mrs Stewart-Jones said.

"They'll be missed by a lot of their expat friends and their funerals will be held on the island there's no question of them leaving."

A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesperson told The Daily Express "We are providing support to the family of two British people who have sadly died in Malta."

Magistrate J Vella Cuschieri is leading a Magisterial inquiry.

 

Photo: Animal Welfare