Dubai: 6-yr-old girl goes missing on beach during Eid rush; reunited with mum in 30 minutes

A six-year-old Russian girl was reunited with her mother after she went missing amid the crowds on JBR Beach over the weekend. All popular venues in Dubai were jam-packed with visitors during the four-day Eid Al Fitr break.

Brigadier Khalfan Obaid Al Jallaf, director of the Tourist Police Department, said the mother lost track of her daughter as crowds thronged the beach.

"Our patrolling officers stationed at JBR Beach immediately formed a search team to locate the child, contacting the mother for the child's clothing description and photograph. They managed to find the girl in under 30 minutes," he said.

Al Jallaf emphasized that the Tourist Police Department, under the guidance of Major General Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigations, is committed to ensuring readiness and complete preparedness to handle incoming reports, especially during national days and holidays such as Eid Al-Fitr.

Captain Ahmad Al Muhairi, head of the Tourist Voyages Monitoring Section, said the police deploy additional officers and patrols during holidays. "This requires the formation of working groups and emergency plans, in addition to awareness and educational efforts regarding safety procedures and requirements on the beaches," he said.

Meanwhile, the police said they received over 49,000 calls between April 21 and 23. Of these, 48,227 were directed to the emergency hotline (999), while the remaining 1,702 calls were non-emergencies routed to 901.

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