Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: He was like any other 18-year-old on an outing with his friends.
One even clicked his picture which he shared with his mother on the messaging app WhatsApp.
About 20 minutes later, a flood washed away Albert Joy. His friends, who barely managed to escape, watched on helplessly.
The incident took place at Wadi Sheis in Sharjah on November 16.
In Pictures: Rescue team tried its best to save Indian expat's life
The Indian national’s body was found in Al Madha Dam in Musandam. Since then the people who had been involved in the rescue operation have come out and said that they tried their best even as they feared the worst.
Albert’s maternal uncle Robin was the first civilian to join in the rescue operations.
He lives in Fujairah, about 50 kms from where the incident took place.
Albert lived with his family in Ras Al Khaimah. Robin narrated that Albert had with great difficulty, convinced his mother Valsamma to allow him to borrow his father’s car. His father Joy was out of town.
Robin said that after the first flash flood subsided, Albert’s six friends were rescued by locals.
They even offered to take Albert to safety.
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However, he refused, saying that he didn’t want to abandon his father’s car. In another five minutes, the 18-year-old was washed away by a fresh wave. Robin said that he, along with about 65 to 70 cops from Sharjah police, Dubai cops, Air Wing of Abu Dhabi police with sniffer dogs and locals combed the area which was very hard to navigate, given the rocky terrain. He narrated that they were joined by about 20 people from Julphar, the pharmaceutical company in which the victim’s father works.
Albert’s uncle said that locals had been very sympathetic to their aggrieved family. “A local Sheikh, who’s name I don’t remember, gave our rescue team food and water. He even told me, that Albert may be like my son but he was like his son too.
The rescue personnel were also very thorough,” he said. Once the Omani authorities granted permission, the cops could search in Musandam, along with a police team from Khasab.
Robin said that Omani cops had traced Albert’s body to Al Madha Dam within 30 minutes. Albert’s body is in Fujairah mortuary. Once the forensic report is out, the family hopes to fly his body to India for burial.
Indian consul general to Dubai Vipul said that he personally met the victim’s family after learning of their plight in the local newspapers. “I met the family on Tuesday.
Initially, the rescue team hadn’t been able to get permission from Oman. I wrote to the Indian ambassador to Oman Indramani Pandey. After this, UAE cops were allowed to search on the Omani side and managed to locate the body,” he said.
“We took up the matter with the Oman authorities after we learned about the incident from the Indian Embassy officials in UAE,” an official of the Indian Embassy in Muscat said, adding “they also helped in the rescue operations and handed over the body to the relatives once it was discovered in Musandam area.”
Ras Al Khaimah-based social worker Sethunath who had helped the victim’s family, said that authorities had responded positively in a difficult time.
