Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordanian columnist Sami Zubaidi passed away on Thursday along with his wife Zahra, her brother, and his three children in a tragic car accident.

Zubaidi was a regular columnist at Al Ra'i newspaper and had ran in Wednesday's election in part of the People's National List (Al-Sha'b), which won one seat in the new parliament.

Born in 1966, Zubaidi is from the town of Zubaidiyyah in the northern Jordanian Badia. He was a leader in the Jordanian Communist Party, graduated from Yarmouk University in 1989, and was a member of the Jordan Press Association (JPA).

Zubaidi worked as a columnist and managing editor of a number of daily and weekly newspaper, and founded an electronic news website.

On Thursday, the Public Security Department (PSD) announced that five people were killed and two injured in a traffic accident near Zarqa.

A trailer carrying brick had overturned near Ghabawi bridge near Zarqa and crashed into the small sedan car carrying Zubaidi, his wife Zahra, her brother, and Zubaidi's three children, his son Khalid and two daughters Sham and Kinda.

The bodies of Zubaidi and his family will be laid to rest at Zubaidiyyah Cemetery in Mafraq, following Friday midday prayer from the Grand Mafraq.

JPA President Tareq Momani and JPA Council members issued a statement of condolences for the tragic passing of Zubaidi and his family.

Editor-in-Chief of Al Ra'i newspaper Sameer Al Hiyari and Board Chairman of the Jordan Press Foundation Ali al-Ayyed also sent condolences for the passing of Zubaidi.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Thursday sent a letter of condolences to JPA President and Al Ra'i newspaper editor-in-chief expressing sadness at the passing of Zubaidi and his family.

Ensour praised Zubaidi as "loyal columnist, a man of unique opinion and thought."