My uncle lost his balance and fell into a river in Turkey: Omani tourist's nephew

Muscat: Turkish authorities are searching for an Omani national who lost his balance and fell into a river near the city of Ayder in northern Turkey.

Fawzi Al Rawahi who had travelled to Turkey as a tourist, lost his balance near the river and fell into the torrential waters.

His family members were initially unaware of what had befallen him, until they saw news of the incident being circulated on many Arab and Turkish social media channels.

“When I saw the video circulating on social media, especially on Twitter, I could not believe my eyes,” said Hisham Al Rawahi, Fawzi’s nephew. “I was stunned and shocked to see my uncle losing balance and falling into the river in Turkey. I called him immediately, but of course, his mobile was out of service.”

The 37-year-old added: “I contacted his friends who accompanied him on his trip. One of them answered my call, and he was also in a state of shock and shaken psychologically.”

“He confirmed that my uncle had indeed lost his balance, and hadn’t been found yet,” said Hisham. Fawzi and his friends had decided to travel to Turkey to enjoy the country’s natural beauty. Although Hisham tried his best to keep the news of his uncle’s misfortune a secret, word quickly spread through social media.

They were understandably terribly shocked when they heard of Fawzi’s plight, with Hisham’s father (Fawzi’s brother) notifying the Embassy of Oman in Ankara of what had happened to him, and asking the authorities there to intensify the search for him. Search operations by the Turkish authorities are still ongoing, but at the time of writing, he has still not been found. >A5

“My uncle’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and we are in the dark about his fate,” he admitted. “The Turkish authorities and Omani embassy officials are in contact with me – they assured me they will continue to intensely search for him, and hope to find him in good health.”

“We don’t know our destiny, but we pray to God that our uncle returns safe and sound to his family,” said Hisham. “I ask everyone to please stop spreading rumours about my uncle out of respect for our feelings, and to only seek information from official sources.”

47-year-old Fawzi, from Wilayat Samail in Al Dakhiliyah, is the Imam of the district mosque. He is well known in the community – says his nephew – for his good manners and community spirit.

“With his calm nature, cheerful attitude and kind heart, I consider him to be the ideal example for me in life,” said Hisham. The Embassy of Oman in Ankara also confirmed that efforts continue to search for the Omani, and it is liaising with Turkish officials in this matter. “Turkish authorities have prepared a new search and rescue plan, which involves searching small waterfalls in the river, and to rappel down them with ropes, as it is possible that the missing person has fallen among the rocks,” said Dr Qassim bin Mohammed Al Salihi, the Ambassador of Oman.

“I ask citizens visiting Turkey to follow the proper safety guidelines, so that they may avoid accidents,” he added.

Hisham Al Rawahi thanked both the Omani and Turkish authorities for their assistance trying to find Fawzi, while also expressing his gratitude towards everyone who offered sympathy towards the family’s plight, and prayed with them for his swift return.