Mon, Dec 23, 2024 | Jumada al-Aakhirah 22, 1446 | DXB 0°C

UAE beach tragedy: Mum dies, 3 of a family survive drowning incident

Umm Al Quwain - At 9am, the father swam into the sea, followed by his son, daughter and then his wife.

Published: Fri 28 May 2021, 5:57 PM

Updated: Fri 28 May 2021, 6:13 PM

By
Afkar Ali Ahmed

A 32-year-old Indian woman drowned in Umm Al Quwain after she and her family went for a swim off Al Beit Al Mutwahid Beach on Friday morning, the police said. Her four-year-old daughter nearly drowned, too, but she survived after beachgoers immediately responded to the family’s call for help.

Brig Khalifah Salim Al Shamsi, a police director, said the Indian family — consisting of a 49-year-old man, his wife, a son and a daughter — was from Ajman and went to the Umm Al Quwain beach at around 7am.

At 9am, the father swam into the sea, followed by his son, daughter and then his wife. After a while, the family started to struggle in the water.

“The mother and daughter began screaming for help, while the son was able to get back to the shore,” the official said.

The father, exhausted from the swim, cried out for help and caught the attention of beachgoers. One of them managed to get into the sea and pull the mother and daughter out of the water.

As soon as the incident was reported, the police’s emergency response team rushed to the site and found the two in critical condition.

The mother and daughter were taken to the Umm Al Quwain Hospital, but the woman died a few minutes after being admitted to the ICU. The four-year-old survived and now in a stable condition.

Brig Al Shamsi urged everyone to take precautions and not to swim in restricted areas. Having floaters and life jackets handy can also prevent drowning incidents. He called on parents to keep an eye on their kids at all times.