Two drown, five rescued off Sharjah beaches

Sharjah - The bodies of two men - a 42-year-old Syrian and a 24-year-old Somali - were pulled from the water over the long weekend.

 On a single evening, two beachgoers drowned and five others were rescued off two Sharjah beaches.
According to the Sharjah Police, the incidents were reported on Friday evening on Al Hamriya and Al Khan beaches, causing the death of two and injuries to five others.  The rescue unit of the Sharjah Police managed to rescue the five and recovered the bodies of a 42-year-old Syrian national and a 24-year-old Somali national.
The police received information about the incidents on the two beaches in the evening and immediately dispatched the rescue unit and ambulance to work with the civil defence for rescue operations.
The rescue unit managed to rescue five people of different nationalities from the sea off Al Khan beach. They were rushed to hospitals in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. However, one of them - the Syrian national - succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The Somali deceased went into the sea off Al Hamriya beach along with his Egyptian friend, the police said.  Despite the warning, they swam in areas with high waves and the sea was very rough. Both of them were washed away by the strong waves, but the rescue team managed to save the Egyptian. The team launched a search operation for the missing Somali national and his body was recovered from Sharjah-Ajman border on Saturday.
A senior police official said such accidents are likely to increase because the sea is likely to be rough as winter is approaching. "We have deployed rescue units and coastguards on all Sharjah beaches to quickly respond to any such incidents. Signboards that warn beachgoers of strong waves have been installed in various parts," he said. However, beachgoers hardly follow warning instructions and never check the weather forecast to learn about the condition of the sea, causing accidents, he added.
To reduce the number of drowning cases, the Sharjah Police are planning an awareness campaign for beachgoers, he said, adding that the police have launched a crackdown on jet skiers who ride too close to the shore which is very dangerous. The violating jet skies will be confiscated immediately."
Drowning Accidents this year
In May, the police rescue unit managed to recover the body of a 20-year-old man who drowned while swimming with a friend off Al Hamriya beach.
In May, a 17-year-old Syrian boy drowned in Al Hamriya.
In March, a 27-year-old Syrian man drowned off Al Khan beach.
In July, a 75-year-old Kuwaiti man drowned while swimming off Al Khan beach. 

• Sharjah